July 26 (Bloomberg) -- During Bill Clinton’s presidency, I
once listened to a senior White House aide complain about the
amount of time his boss spent meeting ordinary citizens. There
was always a sob story, the aide said, and the president would
return to the Oval Office demanding that his staff waste
precious time addressing it.
This episode popped into my mind this week when I read
about how throngs of Brazilian believers had mobbed the car
carrying Pope Francis through the streets of Rio de Janeiro. One
report described “a frantic crowd of faithful Catholics”
pressing so close that the vehicle had to stop several times.
“While local and national officials traded barbs over who
screwed up in Rio, Francis made the most of the mishap,” read
another. “To the despair of Vatican security, he threw open his
window, waved at his flock, patted hundreds of heads and kissed
eight babies while worshipers and tourists trotted alongside the
convoy.”
