Incivility and Crudeness of Public Debate

Calling Patrick J. Buchanan a "bareknuckle brawler and wisest, most objective man in American public affairs," Steve Sailer (pictured), movie critic for The American Conservative and blogger at VDARE.com, writes a glowing book review of Buchanan's new book, Suicide of a Superpower. Sailer writes:

Buchanan has made himself into exactly what you would want in a political intellectual: famously pugnacious in argument, but a gentleman who fights fair and feels the other side is entitled to its say. He wants to win arguments, but not suppress and personally destroy his opponents. In his new book, Buchanan laments that in 21st Century America:

"The crudeness of our public debate is matched by its incivility. In politics it is insufficient to defeat an opponent. One must demonize, disgrace, and destroy him. The tradition of political foes being social friends when the sun goes down ... is passé. Today, we criminalize politics and go for the throat."

Buchanan's genial honesty helps explain why relatively few liberal Bigfoot journalists have piled on to the two decade-long neocon jihad against him. They are ideologically closer to Buchanan’s neocon detractors, but they know from personal experience that Pat is the better man.

Read the entire review here.