McConnell Remarks on George Will's 50 Years at The Washington Post
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Washington Post columnist George Will:
“For just a few moments, I’d like to call our colleagues’ attention to a rather rarefied milestone in Washington, and in our national political discourse – fifty years of columns from George Will of The Washington Post.
“Perhaps, in some other biography of some other figure approaching George’s intellectual stature, the eye might be drawn to the doctorate in political science.
“Among the credentials of some other impressive journalist, you might notice above all the Pulitzer Prize.
“But in the story of George Will, the most remarkable thing is the consistent, unrelenting rhythm.
“Twice a week for half a century, he’s commanded a place in the most consequential conversations. Twice a week, inviting – and sometimes insisting – that the most powerful city in the most powerful nation on earth consider a well-reasoned argument.
“Of course, George Will columns are usually a great deal more than airtight, logical cases. They’re full of historical trivia, sharp wit, delicious sarcasm, and more often than not, allusions to – or outright lessons in – America’s pastime.
“Like Buckley and Reagan, George Will quite evidently enjoys his vocation as a happy warrior. He clearly relishes every chance to gently remind readers that the answers to the biggest questions of the day so often lie in the wisdom and traditions of the past.
“In his own reflections on fifty years at the Post, George remarked that the great luxury of a columnist is assuming that the mental pantries of one’s readers are well stocked with baseline knowledge.
“Well, the mental pantries of George’s loyal readers, in fact, overflow – in no small part thanks to his consistent deposits of earnest prose.
“As always, we’ll look forward to reading what he has to say next.”
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