Rick Morain is the former publisher and owner of the Jefferson Herald, for which he writes a regular column. This essay first appeared on Substack.

The Democratic presidential race for 2028 appears to be wide open today. No shortage of obvious hopefuls, with another batch who are probably mulling it over. More will pop their heads up in the weeks and months to come.

Here’s one who deserves serious consideration: George Clooney. I’m not joking, and this is not whimsy.