It isn't all too often that a President has the opportunity to discuss his own failed drug policies with one of the country's staunchest and most benevolent critics. But that's precisely what went down when David Simon (longtime journalist and creator of TheWire) sat with President Obama to discuss the show's very real portrayal of the effects of flooding our prisons with non-violent drug offenders both on the state and their immediate communities. While most of the interview finds the POTUS proclaiming his adoration for the show and allegiance to Omar Little (cue whistle) there is some genuine back-and-forth on the ills of a failed system and how to move forward through education and awareness, which do seem to be on the rise in most cases. We'll have to wait and see what comes of it (if anything at all) but the very fact that the discussion is even taking place (in the White House no less) is certainly encouraging and could even provide a model for the types of discourses we should all be taking part in, especially when the stakes are so damn high. Watch President Obama interview David Simon below.
