An interview with a fascinating man who is definitely not your run-of-the-mill politician.

I’ve found divinity in places where people wouldn’t normally see it. I’ve found magic. … If we see no angels, it’s because we harbor none. I like to be able to see the divinity and the angelic nature of humanity. If we see that more, it becomes real, it becomes true.

Cory Booker very much mirrors my own optimistic view of politics and government as a vehicle for good. He’ll be in the White House one day.

Meanwhile, if you’re not listening to The Ezra Klein Show, you’re missing out; he’s become one of the news media’s best interviewers in a very short time. I’ve been following his work since his guest appearances on MSNBC in the “Countdown” era, and wasted no time subscribing to this podcast when it was piloted and then launched. A great interviewer never steals the spotlight from his guests, and Ezra does a fantastic job of letting his guests express themselves without leading them on or overwhelming them.

His interview with Heritage Action for America CEO Michael Needham is an excellent example of this. Even though Needham is objectively wrong about Obamacare on a number of counts, Ezra is there to guide the conversation and let the listeners draw their own conclusions from it, not to get bogged down in arguments over who’s right or wrong. The result is a unique insight into the operations of the modern-day conservative political machine and the worldview that drives it.