The Fall of Conservatism

George Packer has a better than expected article in last week's New Yorker. I say better than expected because I thought the title was a bit much (things are still pretty conservative). But Packer provides a good chronology from the 60's and 70's up until today and some insightful writing. Conservatives are pretty worried about November, rightfully I guess, but until a Democrat (preferrably Obama) is back in the Oval Office, my emotions aren't yet that up even with those good prospects.

On a personal note, when I started noticing Packer's name in the media a couple of years ago, namely in the New Yorker and for his Assassin's Gate book about Iraq, it took me awhile to realize that I had known this guy before. Turns out we had played a few summers together on a softball team in the Boston area almost 20 years ago. I didn't know him too well, but I remember him being a writer. It's interesting to learn of the impressive accomplishments that he's made since then.