Martin O'Malley, Please Switch to De-Caf

This morning's Washington Post reports that Baltimore Mayor and prospective Maryland gubernatorial candidate, Martin O'Malley, is over-caffeinated. In responding on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Mayors to the release of President Bush's budget, O'Malley likened the budget to another September 11 attack on America's major urban centers. Really? Dr. Potomac must have missed the footage of the airliners delivering the the budget to the mayors.

Dr. Potomac has had the pleasure of seeing Mayor O'Malley up close and personal. Here is a man who's ambition and partisanship frequently outstrips his judgment. Montgomery County Executive and likely gubernatorial primary opponent, John Duncan didn't miss the opening O'Malley's statement created. "The president of the United States is fighting terrorism," Duncan said. "It hurts our cause when people say things like that." O'Malley's colleagues in the U.S. Conference also backed quickly away with D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams denouncing O'Malley's "harsh rhetoric."

Difficult to say why such remarks are so damaging to political futures. Is it the lack of proportion or the pretentiousness or the overreaching? What is clear is that O'Malley verges toward laughing stock status. He needs a long vacation in a nice quiet place if he plans to get his campaign for governor back on track.