Paul Ryan said, “I really call myself a classical liberal,” and some of RightWorld lost it. Charlie Sykes quoted one headline: “WOW! Traitor Paul Ryan Admits He’s a LIBERAL, NOT a Conservative.” Wow indeed.

Today on the homepage, we launch a five-part series on Bruce and Suzie Kovner, who are great philanthropists and who have just won a major award for philanthropic leadership. For Part I of this series, go here.

I will write about them as a couple and as individuals.

Bruce Kovner is an intellectual — a former academic — and one of the great traders of this age. (Please note the difference between “trader” and “traitor”!) He is also a true-blue, unrepentant, grateful classical liberal. He was raised in a left-wing environment, but discovered classical economics and classical liberalism in college, and never looked back.

He has an astonishing rare-book collection. I held in my hands a first edition of The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith’s blockbuster from 1776.

That was a good year, ’76. We could use more of its spirit all of the time. In any case, hope you enjoy the series, my Kovner-fest.