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Kinsley on Intellectual HonestyBill Buckley had it, journalism should strive for it, and politics needs more of it.


Posted Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008, at 1:12 PM ET

(Continued from page 1)

However, the specific examples you have picked are bad ones, in my opinion. Well, except for Bill Bennett. David Brooks is VERY intellectually honest. He takes great pleasure in re-examining the views of his own side. And Richard Posner I almost idolize, for his enormous production of high-quality thought, for his courage or perversity in violating every unwritten rule of discretion for a federal judge, and as far as I know for his intellectual honesty too.

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Plainville, Conn.: Hi, Mike. It seems to me that Bill Buckley's thoughts on civil rights was convoluted and narrow. In later years, my understanding was, he deeply regretted not being more forceful in supporting the civil rights movement. Am I right in thinking that?

Michael Kinsley: Yes, and if you go to Slate there is a "Breakfast Table" discussion in which I ask him your question and he says explicitly that he would support the CRA'64 if he had it to do over again.

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Bentonville, Va.: I loved watching you battle with Pat Buchanan on Crossfire. Do you miss that show? What thoughts do have on Pat?

Michael Kinsley: I had a good time doing Crossfire for four or five years. But I did it for six, and had enough. Buchanan is a complex character. I got in trouble for saying that I didn't think he was an anti-Semite. I haven't seen him for years.

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Pittsburgh: As you don't mind wealthy people subsidizing magazines, what is your opinion of the Mellon money that subsidizes the Pittsburgh newspaper here, as well as magazines and several political attack groups?

Michael Kinsley: The Mellons have every right to do this, as long as what they publish is honest, which it sometimes isn't, I believe (please don't ask me for chapter and verse).

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washingtonpost.com: Buckley vs. Kinsley on Race (Slate, March 27, 2001)

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St. Simons Island, Ga.: Mr. Kinsley (or is it Michael, or Mike?), Sam Tanenhaus says you are Mr. Buckley's heir. Quite a compliment. I have fond memories of your appearances as the (liberal, I suppose) guest questioner on Firing Line. One occasion stands out in my mind. The conservative guest questioner (who now we would call a neocon and the father of one of the best known neocons), after becoming frustrated with the responses of the liberal guest, began asking the guest about the size of his home, how much he paid for it, etc. (the "how dare you criticize America while enjoying its bounty" type questions). Buckley would have none of it, and cut him off. Civil discourse was Buckley's greatest contribution to American politics, and his death is a tremendous loss for everybody, liberal as well as conservative. As his heir, the responsibility is now yours.

washingtonpost.com: Q&A on William F. Buckley (nytimes.com, Feb. 27)

Michael Kinsley: That was incredibly flattering, what Sam Tanenhaus wrote, but I am not Buckley's heir in any way except that Sam feels I use the same rhetorical tools in my writing.

Maybe this is too optimistic, but I think civility may be making a comeback. Both of the apparent party nominees, Obama and McCain, have made it a keystone of their campaigns. Whether they will stick to it, we shall see.

And remember: Buckley also enjoyed plunging the dagger in when he saw an opening. Civility doesn't mean banality or "balance"...

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Philadelphia: Obama is currently the media darling. So, when does the press decide to gang up on him and evaluating his every vote and speech and tearing him apart? How do you think Obama will fare under such scrutiny?

Michael Kinsley: I would say probably about the day after tomorrow. But I think he'll do OK.

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Albany, N.Y.: Do you still believe all that stuff you wrote on the Time blog about how the U.S. Attorney purge was no big deal? Were you just writing that to be contrarian?

washingtonpost.com: There Outta Be a Law (Time.com, March 19, 2007)

Michael Kinsley: There turned out to be more to it than I thought, but I still think people were too quick to jump on it and not careful enough to ask themselves what if it were a Democratic administration doing the same thing? (The "whose ox is gored" question, which is a big part of intellectual honesty, which seems to be a theme this morning.)

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Anonymous: George Bush just said that if the Colombia free trade agreement isn't passed by Congress, our national security will be jeopardized and we will be less safe as a nation. How?

Michael Kinsley: That sounds like a bit of hyperbole. But I do believe that free trade is almost always the right answer. Including NAFTA. And listening to Hillary trying to disown NAFTA and Obama bragging about how he never supported it depressed me a lot. I think they both know better.

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Bentonville, Va.: What do you think of Ralph Nader's decision to run again? Most experts feel he cost Al Gore the election. Do you view him as a spoiler, or as a noble crusader?

Michael Kinsley: It's very, very sad and I really can't explain it. I worked for Ralph for several years and I agree with Barack Obama that he is an American hero. Actually, when I worked for him he wouldn't even publicly oppose the Vietnam War, which bothered some of us, because he felt that would taint his crusades for safe cars, clean meat, and so on. He clearly was the spoiler in 2000 and now is becoming a figure of fun.

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Slate's founding editor, Michael Kinsley, served as co-host of CNN's Crossfire from 1989 to 1995. He was the Columbia Journalism Review's Editor of the Year in 1999. After leaving Slate, he had a stint as the Los Angeles Times' editorial page editor and now is a columnist for Time magazine, Slate, and the Washington Post.
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