Sean Hannity has been a very good friend to me for no good reason … except that he’s a great guy and he thinks that I’m a decent person. Not a person who agrees with him. As it happens, I usually do agree with him — but that’s not where Sean’s coming from. A decent person meaning someone who’s trying his best, however imperfectly, to do the right thing for America. That’s what Sean cares about, first and last.

The last time I was on the show a few weeks ago, Sean had just announced that his new book, Conservative Victory, would soon be released. With his platform he could have made a ton of money on it. But in a tradition we should laud here at NR, he’s in it to make a point, not a profit, so he insisted that it be put out in paperback at a modest price so that he could get the message out. As K-Lo points out, he and his wife give goo-gobs of money to our troops and, especially, our fallen heroes. Why do you know that? Not because of Sean. His friends feel it’s important to defend him against a libel. If Sean had his way, he’d keep giving his time, his money, and his energy without anyone knowing the details. He’s from a long lost tradition in which doing the right thing for America is the least we can do, not something we expect a medal for.

It’s a ritual among the millions of Hannity fans that when they call in to Sean’s radio show, they say, “You’re a great American.” The reason the ritual got started — and the reason it’s not stale — is that he really is a great American. It’s a bad sign of the times that anyone should feel compelled to make such an obvious case, but, like K-Lo, I’m proud to make it.