Former Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson said on Friday in endorsing Donald Trump that there is the man the public sees and another more reserved and "cerebral" man who "sits there and considers things very carefully."
There are, he said, "two Donald Trumps."
If that is the case, where has the cerebral one been? If he is to be the Republican presidential nominee, and that is no certainty with more than half of the delegates still to be won, shouldn't he have shown his deliberative side before now? Wouldn't a thoughtful, measured policy wonk - with just enough shock jock bluster about Muslims and Mexicans - be more apt to earn the backing of Marco Rubio, John Kasich and Jeb Bush supporters than to talk about "Little Marco," the size of his own genitals and the "great" things he plans to do.
"Some people have gotten the impression that Donald Trump is this person who is not malleable," Carson said, "who does not have the ability to listen, and to take information in and make wise decisions. And that's not true."
The former pediatric neurosurgeon is right about the New York businessman being malleable. After all, he supported 2004 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, donated money to 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (remember she's the one he could be running against in the fall), been pro-choice on abortion, been a supporter of fetal tissue seller Planned Parenthood, said he would be neutral regarding U.S. ally Israel and said he would leave the recent Iran nuclear deal in place but see if he couldn't negotiate a better deal.
But Trump, with a wave of the hand, dismisses all of that as yesterday's news. Indeed, following Carson to the dais at one of his Florida resorts Friday, he first agreed with him about the two personalities, then said, no, there was just one.
Ah, to be a popular weathervane.
Where the two find common ground is difficult to see since Trump is loud, shoots from the hip (he once called Carson a "pathological" liar) and never has proclaimed himself the most moral of men. Meanwhile, Carson, who is pro-life, does not support Planned Parenthood, said Israel would find a "very strong friend" in him as president and said the Iran deal puts "the whole country in jeopardy," is quiet, deliberative and a paragon of virtue.
But Carson, using Trump's proverbial wave of the hand, said that's just "political stuff."
While we admire much about the doctor with the compelling back story, we believe this particular presidential race is more than just "political stuff" and that the two Trumps should meet each other if they want to have a shot at the White House.