2-4-89 . . . During the week I watch Crossfire, which stars Tom Braden (“on the left”) and Patrick Buchanan (“on the right”). Every Saturday Buchanan hosts another show, The Capital Gang. Regulars include Buchanan, Robert Novak, Al Hunt, and Mark Shields. The format is simple: Buchanan raises an issue, asks a question, and lets each member of the “gang” make a comment or two. Most of the comments are partisan, some of them are sarcastic or cynical, and some are brilliant. I realize that there’s nothing intellectual about the show, but I wish the panel members would refrain from making ad hominem attacks on each other and on Washington politicians. Novak is the worst culprit. He cannot address an idea on its merits; instead, he castigates the person who states it, as if knocking down the person suffices to knock down the idea. I also despise his dogmatism. He sees the world through conservative spectacles and cannot tolerate anyone who sees the world differently. To Novak, the United States should do whatever it takes to reduce the influence of the Soviet Union in the world. We should refuse to sell food to the Soviets, refuse to negotiate arms reductions until they pull out of Afghanistan, and assist anyone who revolts against the Soviet government. Buchanan usually agrees with him. Of the four regulars, Shields is the smartest, but he, too, is an ideologue—a liberal ideologue. All complaints aside, I enjoy the show tremendously. Some people like situation comedies; I like political and moral argument.
Twenty Years Ago
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