Irving Kristol, a brave intellectual who defected from the left and led many others behind him, has passed. I number myself among many influenced by his writing, and have always felt I owed him a debt of gratitude.

Hillel Italie of the Associated Press has a reasonably objective obituary for those not aware of the remarkable role he played in the public discourse. In my book, Kristol was a giant, a man who influenced the politics of his era through his mind.