It is a commonplace of fashionable chatter to bemoan the passing of the Washington columnist. Compared with ever-brighter memories of the departed greats, men whose reputations appear to wax in direct proportion to the number of years since their deaths, the incumbent class is said to be a dull and colorless lot. Quite possible. We weren’t around when giants walked the earth. What we do notice, though, is a new energy and a new thoughtfulness among the current practitioners of the trade. A report on the most conspicuous examples . . .
George F. Will is the main man of Washington journalism. From the humblest beginnings, the sweatshops of opinion journalism, Will has become the most influential commentator in the nation’s capital. He is most admired by his colleagues for his deft use of the apposite quote. (Fellow professionals recoil from the logical explanation for his success—hard work.) Defying predictions from both ends of the spectrum, Will has emerged as an unabashed hard-liner on national security matters.
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