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Showing posts from April 19, 2009

The 21st century's David Gergen?

Well, maybe the analogy is not precise, but I'm trying to figure out a way to peg NYT columnist David Brooks. He's the MSM's version of an acceptable conservative, who can offer presumably insightful platitudes to the chin pullers of PBS and the BosNyWash political class. Even though there's nothing really conservative about him (unless you think conservatism = martial state, because Brooks has long advocated some type of coerced government service as a rite of passage for young Americans). Brooks is the sort of guy who, like Gergen, gets invited to present the right-wing viewpoint on acceptable TV shows and in prestige newspapers. And though he can turn a phrase, he's pretty useless in that role, because in his heart of hearts he's hoisting his wet finger to the wind and trying to figure out how he can continue being invited to those really nifty public functions by the political elites. Anyway, I typically don't waste my time reading him, but he was in the