prologue

We’re not always a forgiving nation. We do intolerance and rigidity when it fits our purpose.

~TIM KEOWN,ESPN columnist

KWAME MALIK KILPATRICK, the former mayor of the City of Detroit who is currently serving a one-and-a-half to five-year prison sentence for violating terms of his probation, is a brilliant man. That’s no understatement. He is one of the most intelligent individuals I have ever known.

I should qualify that statement. U.S. President Bill Clinton was known for remembering the names of people he’d shake hands with in even the most obscure places, such was his gift of recall. Kwame also has that ability. His retention skills sometimes seem photographic. He’s a natural conversationalist and possesses that rare, innate talent that makes just about everyone feel at ease in nearly any social setting.

He’s also clear on his abilities, which makes him very confident. His decisions tend to come quickly and resolutely. If he says, “Let me think about that,” he doesn’t waste a lot of time. He returns with a decision, and an argument to support it. But even in disagreement, he remains affable and open to other perspectives. He is one of those individuals who balances a firm strength of conviction with a fair-minded quality of temperance. Needless to say, it’s a disarming quality for adversaries, but fortunately, Kwame rarely meets an enemy. He is a humanist who sees the natural good in people. That might have hurt him early in his career, but more on that later.

I’ve communicated