All this talk of socialism and capitalism has reminded me of the sweet, ritual exchange between WFB and Lane Kirkland. The exchange would occur when they spotted each other. Bill would say, “How’s socialism?” And Kirkland would answer, “How’s Wall Street?” (Bill also did this with Mark Green, and probably others.) Socialism seems up at the moment; and Wall Street is very down. And so the world turns . . . (That’s almost a soap-opera title!)

P.S. Kirkland made up for his socialism by being one of the great anti-Communists of his time — just ask Poles, Nicaraguans, and others. Sidney Hook was another great socialist anti-Communist. There have been a few. Yes, there have been a few (and many more in Europe than in America).