Mark Kelly responded perfectly during trauma. He’d make a great VP

We forget sometimes that politicians are people, and in doing so, we misjudge their ability to govern because we base our support on the politics instead of the person.

When Vice President Kamala Harris becomes the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, the politics will tell her she’d be well served to select Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly as a running mate.

Fighter pilot. Astronaut. Successful businessman. Centrist U.S. senator.

She’d be even better served, however, by looking at the person.

Mark Kelly has expertise that few others have

I have expertise in exactly none of the talents and tenacity required to succeed in any of Kelly’s dynamic professions.But during a difficult stretch of years, I came to be an authority on a trait not listed on resumes, but one that says a lot about the person. Perhaps, everything.

That is: The willingness to sit next to a bed in a hospital or care facility and hold a patient’s hand. For hours.

And hours.

And hours.

Kelly did that after Jan. 8, 2011, when his wife, then U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, was shot in an assassination attempt that took the lives of six others and wounded 13.

Kelly was in training for a space shuttle mission at the time. He rushed back to Tucson and sat with his gravely wounded wife.

For hours.

Holding Giffords’ hand for hours shows character

I’d guess to those who’ve never done such a thing, this does not seem like an accomplishment. They’d say it is something a spouse should do. Want to do. Need to do.

And while all of that is true, it’s still something. And it can be … everything.

Forget Mark Kelly:This GOP senator should be Harris’ VP

During an interview with reporters after his wife was out of danger, but still in need of constant care, Kelly spoke of how his professional training had prepared him for the personal crisis.

He said, “In a very odd way, this feels a lot like a space shuttle mission. A lot of decisions, long days, a lot of chaos all at once.

“Things that aren’t working right, aren’t going right, you have to fix, teams of people you have to talk to, somewhat stressful, risky — not for me, but for Gabby.”

Kelly knows what should be a top priority

When you sit for hours and hours next to a bed, holding someone’s hand, you are forced into a reflection you’d never tried before, and would not have done so even if you did have time.

And it sets you straight. It reorders your notion of first concerns. It teaches you that what is important, what can be — and should be — a Number 1 priority, is sitting next to a bed, holding someone’s hand.

For hours.

No matter what other skills or accomplishments a politician might bring to elected office, I’d say there is none better than that.

Also, a crisis like the one Giffords and Kelly endured enhances your ability to adapt.

At one point in Giffords’ recovery, Kelly, who was still an astronaut, was asked how he envisioned the couple’s future.

He said, “At some point I’ll quit my job and she’ll continue hers and we’ll spend more time together.”

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

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