The Decathlete and the Pugilist

Imagine, if you can, Ted Kennedy tipping his hat to Allan Bloom. Or Tip O’Neill honoring the legacy of Lionel Trilling. Or Norman Thomas being an avid reader of Ayn Rand.

Impossible, isn’t it? At times, the notion of those among the dyed-in-the-wool Left acknowledging merit in conservative standard-bearers is almost comic in its implausibility.