Keller @ Large: Any Talk Of Running For President Is Bad News

BOSTON (CBS) - Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is on a personal and business trip to Ireland, where he is reportedly receiving quite the welcome from the locals, some of whom have compared his return to that of John F. Kennedy after he was elected president, to the point where a number of people have asked Walsh if *he* might one day run for president.

I think I know Walsh well enough to know he was goofing around when he appeared to take those inquiries seriously. "Will I be president of America?" Walsh said to some high school kids, according to the Globe. "I don't know, but I've gotten that question about seven times today."

However, just to be on the safe side, let me say this, loudly enough so Walsh can hear me on the other side of the Atlantic – stop it, right now!

This kind of talk, however facetious, can lead to nothing but bad news.

One of the keys to former Mayor Tom Menino's success was his refusal to ever even consider running for higher office, a move that consolidated his power as mayor and demonstrated his common sense and commitment to his work in City Hall. Menino knew that ambition could easily destroy even a smart politician, inflating his ego and distorting his judgment.

We've talked many times here about the bizarre egomania that afflicts all too many Massachusetts pols, persuading even the most unqualified that they, too, are presidential material. Next thing you know, they're off making fools of themselves and leaving us in the lurch.

So please, Mayor Walsh, cut the comedy. Don't even joke about Potomac fever.

Try just being mayor for a full year or two without messing up, and be happy with that.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.

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