Charles Krauthammer was the closing act Friday night at the National Review Summit. For Americans who set their clocks to turn on Fox News every weekday at 6:45 PM it was a rare opportunity to hear the Sage of Washington DC go for extended riffs without being interrupted by Juan Williams or the unforgiving clock of a cable news “hard break.”
Rich Lowry did a great job asking insightful questions and then getting out of the way to let “The Hammer” be “The Hammer.”
Here are a few choice quotations and revelations from the exchange that almost evoke a Churchillian wisdom and wit:
“There’s a reason why in New York Harbor we have the Statue of Liberty, not the Statue of Equality.”
“The biggest crime of American Liberalism was to consign a generation of inner city children to a life of desperation.”
“No matter how well intentioned American Liberalism was, it destroyed an entire sector of American society.”
Krauthammer on his favorite liberal columnist: “If I were to say ‘David Brooks’ I would be misunderstood.”
“If you run a conservative against a social democrat in this country on an even playing field, the conservative will win. “
“I had a communist phase in my youth. It lasted a weekend. It was a hell of a weekend”
Revealed: Krauthammer accepted a draw after 2 moves when playing chess with Gary Kasparov.
“Had Republicans been able to replicate the feeling of 2010 (citizens vs. state rather than Romney v. Obama) we may have won”
Revealed: GOP House demanding Senate budget in exchange for debt ceiling increase was Krauthammer’s recommendation.
Krauthammer on border security: “Fences work.”
Krauthammer on illegal immigration: Stop the hemorrhaging, legalization, not citizenship.
“In my youth I was a Social Democrat… Which at the time made me a right-winger”
Krauthammer on who should run in 2016: “Some people have approached me…”