So Rich beat me to the punch, right as I was writing this. Yes, this is my last day at National Review. While I’m excited about my new venture, I can’t say this isn’t a profoundly melancholy moment for me. I’ve been at NR longer than I’ve been married. Far longer than I’ve been a father. It’s been the lodestar of my professional and much of my personal life for 21 years. I talk about it in today’s G-File and there’s info there for how to follow what comes next. But since the Corner was such a big part of my life, I felt — feel — like I should say something here. It’s not quite “farewell” — I’m staying friends with everybody (I hope!) and I’m going to stay a fellow at NRI too. Heck, I may even submit something for the Corner from time to time, if Charlie or Rich will allow it. But it is a kind of ending. And I want to mark it not by blubbering — though there’s a little of that on my end, damn allergies — but by just saying thank you. Thank you first to Rich, for hiring me and being my friend. Thank you to Ramesh (my closest Vulcan friend) and Kathryn (who made me look so much more competent when I was running NRO), to Jim Geraghty, Jack Fowler, Charlie Cooke, Kevin Williamson, David French (the subject of my final NR G-File!), Andy McCarthy, Jay Nordlinger, Russ Jenkins, Chris McEvoy, Kyle Smith, Lindsay Craig, Rick Brookhiser, Dan McLaughlin, Jason Steorts, Nick Frankovich, and so many others including the young’ns such as Nat Brown, Mark Wright, Sarah Schutte, Theodore Kupfer, Alexandra DeSanctis, and Marlo Safi (some of whom I really only know from email and bylines!).
Also, even though they’re not with us anymore, thank you to: William F. Buckley, the godfather of conservatism, a man I was so blessed to know; the glorious Kate O’Beirne, the Den Mother of the American Right, who taught me so much; Dusty Rhodes, one of the most decent people I’ve ever met; and Mike Potemra the sweetest polymath who ever drew breath. I am so grateful to them all.
Now, I could reminisce about airborne-laser volcano-lancing and other glorious memories all day. But I said no blubbering. So thank you to everyone. You, and this place, have meant the world to me.