Leave it to William Kristol to give the ascendancy of Barack Obama and the Democratic Party a much needed breath of historical perspective:
Since Ronald Reagan’s election in 1980, conservatives of various sorts, and conservatisms of various stripes, have generally been in the ascendancy. And a good thing, too! Conservatives have been right more often than not — and more often than liberals — about most of the important issues of the day: about Communism and jihadism, crime and welfare, education and the family. Conservative policies have on the whole worked — insofar as any set of policies can be said to “work” in the real world. Conservatives of the Reagan-Bush-Gingrich-Bush years have a fair amount to be proud of.
What a relief! I was afraid Bill was going to choke in the final inning and actually say something that wasn’t instantly and flatly contradicted by observable reality, but he stepped up like a champ and protected his streak.
In many ways, Bill seems like a modern DiMaggio, if Joltin’ Joe’s celebrated record had involved getting beaned in 56 consecutive games. But today, he most clearly reminds me of another baseball legend, Ted Williams, who capped a long and distinguished career by belting a home run in his last at-bat. For like the Splendid Splinter, Kristol didn’t just strike out and limp slump-shouldered into the dugout; instead, he saved the best for last, concluding his trenchant pensées with perhaps the six most stirring and eloquent words that have ever appeared beneath his byline:
This is William Kristol’s last column.
Our long national toothache is over.