Charles Krauthammer is one of the bright lights of political commentary today. He has written a Washington Post column since 1985, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize, and appears on Fox News as a commentator. In Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes, and Politics, he has collected a variety of his columns and other writings, giving a nice glimpse into his thinking.
As the subtitle suggests, these columns span three decades, so a few of them seem dated, but for the most part he has selected writing that stands the test of time. For example, he writes about Winston Churchill, on whom the 20th century hinged. Krauthammer praises Churchill's traditionalism: "It took a 19th-century man--traditional in habit, rational in thought, conservative in temper--to save the 20th century from itself."
Another figure from history who gets a bad rap: Columbus. In spite of the obvious problems of conquest, "after 500 years the Columbian legacy has created a civilization that we ought not, in all humble piety and cultural relativism, declare to be no better or worse than that of the Incas. It turned out better. And mankind is the better for it. Infinitely better."
Several of the essays are very personal, such as his tribute to his brother and his praise for baseball. Others are more in depth, such as an extended essay on embryonic research. All are thoughtful and thought provoking. Yeah, it's a lot to take in on a wide array of topics. Things That Matter is probably best enjoyed as originally written, reading one column a day, like in the Post, rather than straight through. However you approach it, it's worth your valuable reading time.
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