In an era of wild news cycles as the increasingly-expected norm, I often wish I could tune into Special Report's nightly panel and watch Charles Krauthammer holding forth from his years-long perch. His reason, insight, wit, kindness, and uncanny ability to cut to the core point always made for appointment viewing -- just as his weekly Washington Post column was appointment reading. When he announced his terminal prognosis in a heart-wrenching column this past June, we all intuited how large a void he would leave behind. Indeed, since his death, his absence from the national stage has been felt acutely, and even viscerally, at times. But Krauthammer's legions of fans are in for one final treat: A newly-published book featuring the great thinker's work is now available to be devoured and cherished. Like Krauthammer's previous runaway bestseller, Things That Matter, the new offering is a carefully-curated collection of his work through the years (columns, speeches and essays), punctuated with some remarkable fresh content. The Point of It All is a must-read.
This trove of wisdom is only available for Krauthammer's fans to treasure -- and for others to carefully consider -- thanks to the diligent work of the departed commentator's only child. Daniel Krauthammer, an intellectual heavyweight and gifted writer in his own right, was charged by his father with seeing this project through. He has done so with rigor and finesse, shepherding this extraordinary work to publication. It already appears destined to become another smash hit. The book would merit a strong recommendation even if it were "merely" another anthology of Dr. K's work. But Daniel's splendid introduction, the inclusion of his beautiful and moving eulogy from his father's funeral, and a prescient, lengthy essay penned by the great man himself, entitled 'The Authoritarian Temptation,' make The Point of It All essential reading.
On Benson & Harf Tuesday evening, Marie and I had the privilege of welcoming Daniel as our guest for the entire second hour of the program. We covered subjects ranging from how he helped engineer a makeshift technological set-up that allowed his father to continue working from his hospital bed, to Charles' unique sense of humor, to what it was like to grow up debating a world-class intellect at the dinner table. Please enjoy our interview, which spanned four full segments. The complete discussion is available at the link embedded in my tweet:
Please listen to our incredible, memorable interview with @dkrauthammer on last night's @BensonAndHarf. 'The Point of It All' is a fitting intellectual bookend to Dr. K's formidable legacy, and I recommend it highly: https://t.co/JaLd3gpPiL
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) December 12, 2018
In our off-air conversation, Daniel recommended that interested parties visit his father's website, CharlesKrauthammer.com -- which has links to purchase the book, of course, but also includes other relevant content. In this holiday season, may Charles' family find comfort and peace following their loss. And may The Point of It All expose millions of Americans to Charles' inimitably- and eloquently-argued ideas, which are as timeless and important as ever before. I'll leave you with Daniel's on-air chat with Fox anchor Bret Baier, a dear friend of the Krauthammer family: