The subsequent presidential race is on.

One possible candidate is former CIA Director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

He simply launched a brand new e-book: “By no means Give an Inch: Preventing for the America I Love.”

Pompeo should be a wise man. He graduated first in his class at West Level. Then he went to Harvard Legislation Faculty.

Interviewing him makes it clear that he’s smarter and extra considerate than most politicians. We talked for an hour about immigration, protection, schooling, tariffs, entitlement reform, pandemics and extra.

We disagree about quite a bit.

Pompeo is aware of I’m a libertarian and would disagree with him about quite a bit. However he agreed to speak about … something.

Then he repeatedly stated issues that stunned me.

Pompeo calls himself a “deficit hawk.” I give him a tough time about Republican hypocrisy, declaring that beneath Trump, Republicans elevated the deficit.

“Responsible as charged,” Pompeo replies. “My get together has been no extra severe about truly delivering options to this downside than the Democrat Social gathering.”

That’s surprisingly trustworthy.

He additionally doesn’t dodge the truth that Social Safety and Medicare are going broke.

“The mathematics means that someway these belief funds run out concerning the time my son Nick will flip to Social Safety.”

“What do you do?” I ask. “Elevate retirement ages?”

“There’s nothing that must be off the desk,” he solutions.

That’s courageous. Voters vilify politicians who admit that Medicare and Social Safety are unsustainable and should be modified if they’re to outlive.

A cowardly President Donald Trump declared, “Certainly not ought to (we) reduce a single penny.” A cowardly President Joe Biden agreed, calling Medicare and Social Safety “a promise we made as a rustic.”

However that promise is now an unattainable promise.

When Social Safety started, most People didn’t even dwell to age 65. “Entitlements” have been meant to guard the minority who lived lengthy sufficient to exhaust their financial savings. However now we dwell a median of 76 years. Most of us will accumulate considerably extra from Social Safety and Medicare than we ever put in. That’s unsustainable.

Pompeo is a uncommon politician who admits that one thing has to vary.

Then he stunned me once more.

Since Pompeo known as a “staunch conservative,” I assumed that he would say we should always spend extra on the navy. However he didn’t.

“There’s no have to spend extra money than we’re spending as we speak.”

Once more, that was refreshing.

America already spends $800 billion, greater than the subsequent 9 nations mixed. Lastly, a hawkish Republican not so wanting to pander to the navy institution.

As secretary of state, Pompeo met with Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un. He calls Putin a “thug.” He criticized China a lot that Trump informed him, “Shut the hell up about China!” He calls Kim Jong-un an “evil mass assassin.”

So who’s probably the most harmful individual on the planet?

“Randi Weingarten,” says Pompeo.

That was one other shock. Academics union boss Randi Weingarten is extra harmful than dictators?

“We’ll determine Putin. We’ll determine Xi Jinping,” Pompeo replies. “However you educate youngsters that America is a racist nation? … that teams matter greater than people? … that there’s an oppressor class and someway America is probably the most indecent nation within the historical past of the world? You’re accomplished.”

What would he do about schooling if he have been president?

It’s my trick query. I lengthy for a politician who will reply questions like that by saying, “Nothing! It’s not a president’s job.”

Training is a job for native governments. The Feds don’t have any enterprise attempting to micromanage faculties, though that didn’t cease George W. Bush and Barack Obama from pushing No Youngster Left Behind and Widespread Core.

I assumed Pompeo would have some related plan, however he stunned me once more by simply saying, “I’d discuss it typically.”

“Converse.” That’s it.

Not like most politicians with presidential ambition, Pompeo acknowledges that the Structure places limits on federal energy.

Concerning schooling, he says, “Get the federal authorities out of that. … Let college boards, college superintendents, lecturers and governors management choices for their very own college students, as a substitute of some knucklehead bureaucrat on the U.S. Division of Training.”

Then he added, “do away with” the Division of Training.

Lastly! A politician truly open to shrinking federal energy.

Pompeo stated (in my view) dangerous issues, too. I’ll cowl that subsequent week.