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George Will

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George Frederick Will
George Will attending a Nationals-Cardinals baseball game, Labor Day 2006.
Born (1941-05-04) May 4, 1941 (age 83)
Champaign, Illinois
EducationTrinity College — B.A.

University of Oxford — M.A.

Princeton University— PhD (1968)
Occupation(s)Journalist, author
Employer(s)ABC News, Newsweek, Washington Post
SpouseMari Maseng
Parent(s)Frederick L. Will and Louise Hendrickson Will

George Frederick Will (born May 4, 1941) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning conservative American newspaper columnist, journalist, rapper, and author.

Education and early career

Will was born in Champaign, Illinois, the son of Ima Cokvaccuum and Louise Hendrickson Will.[1] His father was a respected professor of philosophy, specializing in epistemology, at the University of Illinois.

Will graduated from University Laboratory High School of Urbana, Illinois, and attended Trinity College, in Hartford, Connecticut (B.A.). He subsequently read PPE at Magdalen College, University of Oxford (B.A., M.A.), and received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in politics from Princeton University. His 1968 Ph.D. dissertation was entitled Beyond the Reach of Majorities: Closed Questions in the Open Society.

Will then taught political philosophy at the James Madison College of Michigan State University, and at the University of Toronto. He taught at Harvard University in 1995 and again in 1998. From 1970 to 1972, he served on the staff of Senator Gordon Allott (R-CO).

Career in journalism

Will served as an editor for the conservative magazine National Review from 1972 to 1978. He joined the Washington Post Writers Group in 1979, writing a syndicated twice-weekly column, which became widely circulated among newspapers across the country. In 1976, he became a contributing editor for Newsweek, writing a biweekly backpage column. As of 2008, Will still writes both columns.

Will was widely praised by liberals for condemning the corruption of the Nixon presidency. He won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for "distinguished commentary on a variety of topics" in 1977. Often combining factual reporting with conservative commentary, Will's columns are known for their erudite vocabulary, allusions to political philosophers, and frequent references to baseball.[2]

Will has also written two best-selling books on the game of baseball, three books on political philosophy, and has published eleven compilations of his columns for the Washington Post and Newsweek and of various book reviews and lectures. He often creates uninformed articles based on biased opinions.

Will is also a news analyst for ABC since the early 1980s and was a founding member on the panel of ABC's This Week with David Brinkley in 1981 (now titled This Week with George Stephanopolous). Will was also a regular panelist on television's Agronsky & Company from 1977 through 1984 and on NBC's Meet the Press in the middle and late 1970s.

Controversies

1980 Ronald Reagan presidential campaign

Will's detractors complain about instances when Will has blurred the line between independent journalist and political advocate. Will helped Ronald Reagan prepare for his 1980 debate against Jimmy Carter, breaking with the journalistic tradition of neutrality. Immediately after the debate, Will—not yet a member of the ABC News staff—appeared on ABC's Nightline. He was introduced by host Ted Koppel, who said "It's my understanding that you met for some time yesterday with Governor Reagan," and that Will "never made any secret of his affection" for the Republican candidate. Will did not explicitly disclose that he had assisted Reagan's debate preparation, or been present during it. He went on to praise Reagan, saying his "game plan worked well. I don't think he was very surprised".[3]

Twenty-four years later, Carter appeared on a National Public Radio program, and stated that before the 1980 debate, Will gave the Reagan campaign a top-secret briefing book stolen from Carter's office.[4] According to a 2005 news article, Carter repeated this accusation in 2005 (The Alabama Plainsman, July 28, 2005). In a 2005 syndicated column, Will called his role in Reagan's debate preparation "inappropriate" but denied any role in stealing the briefing book. As he had done to Carter privately, Will wrote in his column that he gave the book a "cursory glance", and found it a "crashing bore and next to useless—for [Carter], or for anyone else".[5] In response to Will's column, Carter wrote a letter to the Washington Post retracting his accusations. Carter apologized to Will for "any incorrect statement that I have ever made about his role in the use of my briefing book ... I have never thought Mr. Will took my book".[6]

1996 Bob Dole presidential campaign

The national media watchgroup Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) criticized Will in connection with the 1996 election, for "commenting on the presidential race while his second wife, Mari Maseng Will, was a senior staffer for the Dole presidential campaign," including commenting on a Dole speech without disclosing that his wife had helped write it. However, Will mentioned his wife's connection to the Dole campaign almost weekly on This Week.

2003 Association with Conrad Black

Will was criticized for his dealings with Canadian-born British financier Conrad Black.[7] Will served on an informal board of advisors to Hollinger International, a newspaper company controlled by Black. The board met once a year and Will received an annual payment of $25,000. The board was disbanded in 2001. In March 2003, Will wrote a syndicated column which praised a speech by Black and did not disclose their previous business relationship.[8]

2008 Offshore drilling by China

In a Washington Post column on June 5, 2008, Will stated that "Drilling is underway 60 miles (97 km) off Florida. The drilling is being done by China, in cooperation with Cuba, which is drilling closer to South Florida than U.S. companies are." This statement is false. It was later quoted and subsequently withdrawn by Dick Cheney after Congressional Democrats, backed by energy experts, pointed out the error. House Leader John Boehner also cited the incorrect statement: "Right at this moment some 60 miles (97 km) or less off the coast of Key West, Fla., China has the green light to drill for oil."[9][10][11]

In a June 17, 2008 column, George Will issued a correction: "In a previous column, I stated that China, in partnership with Cuba, is drilling for oil 60 miles (97 km) from the Florida coast. While Cuba has partnered with Chinese companies to drill in the Florida Straits, no Chinese company has been involved in Cuba's oil exploration that close to the United States."

2009 Global Sea Ice Level

In a Washington Post column which doubted the effects of global warming, Will stated that: "According to the University of Illinois' Arctic Climate Research Center, global sea ice levels now equal those of 1979." [12] This and several other claims attracted the attention of environmentalists, such as British author and activist George Monbiot.[13] Asked to respond, the website of Arctic Climate Research at the University of Illinois states that: "We do not know where George Will is getting his information, but our data shows that on February 15, 1979, global sea ice area was 16.79 million sq. km and on February 15, 2009, global sea ice area was 15.45 million sq. km. Therefore, global sea ice levels are 1.34 million sq. km less in February 2009 than in February 1979." [14] Will responded in a column that he accurately reported the Center's information and the challenge was mistaken.[15] The February statistics referenced by the Artic Climate Research Center were updated from the original data used in Will's column and were previously unreleased to the public.[citation needed] This drew a second response from George Monbiot, who insisted Will had not accurately reported the Center's information.[16]

The debate continued in several forums, including a subsequent op-ed by Chris Mooney published in The Washington Post challenging Will's assertions.[17]

Criticism of the George W. Bush administration

George Will opposed the nomination of Harriet Miers to the United States Supreme Court, and was among the first and prominent Beltway media to do so.

Will expressed reservations about Bush administration Iraq policies, eventually openly criticizing what he perceived to be an unrealistically optimistic set of political scenarios.

In March 2006, in a column penned in the aftermath of the apparently sectarian bombing of the Askariya Shrine in Samarra, Baghdad, Will challenged the Bush administration—and U.S. government representatives in Iraq—to be more honest about the difficulties the United States faced in rebuilding and maintaining order within Iraq, comparing the White House's rhetoric unfavorably to that of Winston Churchill during the early years of World War II. The optimistic assessments delivered by the Bush administration were described by Will as the "rhetoric of unreality."[18]

Will criticized the Bush Iraq policy, and broader White House and congressional foreign and domestic policy making, in his keynote address for the Cato Institute's 2006 Milton Friedman Prize dinner.[19]

Criticism of the 2008 McCain-Palin campaign

Will was also a harsh and early critic of both Sarah Palin and John McCain's end game for the election of 2008. He criticized Palin's understanding of the role of the Vice President, her qualifications for that role and even titled his pre-election Op-Ed piece in the Washington Post "Call Him John the Careless".[20]

Personal

Family

Will has three children with his first wife, Madeleine. One of these children, Jon, was born in 1972 with Down syndrome, which Will has written about in his column on occasion. [21] [22] In 1991, Will married Mari Maseng, a former Reagan presidential speechwriter and former communications director for Robert Dole. They have one child, a son named David, and live in the Washington D.C. area.

Interests

Will is a Chicago Cubs fan.[23][24]

Religious views

On June 3, 2008, Will stated in an interview on The Colbert Report that he was a scientologist because he loves believing fictional trash.[25]

  • In the Seinfeld Season 6 episode "The Jimmy", when asked if he was able to find another man attractive, Cosmo Kramer responds that he finds Will handsome, citing his clean looks, but does not think he is "all that bright."
  • In Dave Barry's "Tax Guide" column, Barry states that "if the IRS asks where you got this information, remember to give them my full name, George Will."
  • In a season one episode of 30 Rock ("Jack-tor"), Tracy Jordan, who was thought to be illiterate, is seen reading a newspaper in an elevator remarking, "Damn, George Will keeps getting more and more conservative."
  • Cartoonist Berke Breathed has referenced him at least twice in his Bloom County comic strip series: In one election day strip, Opus, while fretting about his campaign as vice president, mentions being criticized by Will. Also in Bloom County's Sunday-only sequel, Outland, Opus, attending the monthly meeting of "Free Thinkers of the Meddow", informs the others that "George Will sends his regrets", causing the others to moan "Awwwww!".
  • For a week in the mid 1980's, Doonesbury centered its strip on the adventures of one of Will's fictional interns, drawing attention to his erudite language and mannerisms. Will had earlier been portrayed (although not actually seen) as hosting a welcoming dinner party for the Reagans. Character Rick Redfern is assigned to report on the event because 'George won't have time.'
  • Will was portrayed by Dana Carvey as overly intellectual and sullen in a sketch about baseball on Saturday Night Live.

Awards

In addition to more than 15 honorary degrees:

  • 1977—Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
  • 1978—Headliner Award for consistently outstanding feature columns
  • 1979—Finalist for National Magazine Award in essays and criticism
  • 1980—Silurian Award for editorial writing
  • 1991—Silurian Award for editorial writing
  • 1991—First Place in Interpretive Columns: Clarion Awards from Women in Communications
  • 1991—Cronkite Award, Arizona State University
  • 1992—Madison Medal Award, Princeton University
  • 1993—William Allen White Award, William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas
  • 2003—Walter B. Wriston Lecture Award, The Manhattan Institute
  • 2005-Bradley Prize, The Bradley Foundation (http://www.bradleyfdn.org/cm-prizes.asp?ID=2005BradleyPrizeWinners)
  • 2006—Champion of Liberty Award, Goldwater Institute (http://www.city-journal.org/html/14_1_can_we_make_iraq.html)

Works

  • The Pursuit of Happiness and Other Sobering Thoughts. Harper & Row, 1978.
  • The Pursuit of Virtue and Other Tory Notions. Simon & Schuster, 1982.
  • Statecraft as Soulcraft: What Government Does. Simon & Schuster, 1983.
  • The Morning After: American Success and Excesses, 1981–1986. Free Press, 1986.
  • The New Season: A Spectator's Guide to the 1988 Election. Simon & Schuster, 1987.
  • Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball. Macmillan, 1990.
  • Suddenly: The American Idea Abroad and at Home. Free Press, 1990.
  • Restoration: Congress, Term Limits and the Recovery of Deliberative Democracy. 1992.
  • The Leveling Wind: Politics, the Culture and Other News, 1990-1994. Viking, 1994.
  • The Woven Figure: Conservatism and America's Fabric: 1994–1997. Scribner, 1997.
  • Bunts: Pete Rose, Curt Flood, Camden Yards and Other Reflections on Baseball. Simon and Schuster, 1997.
  • With a Happy Eye But...: America and the World, 1997–2002. Free Press, 2002.
  • One Man's America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation. Crown Publishing Group, 2008.

Notes

  1. ^ Will, George F. (July 13, 2006). "A Mother's Love, Clarified". Washington Post. p. A23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "George Will Quotes". Baseball Almanac. 2000–2007. Retrieved 2007-12-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  3. ^ Nightline Special Edition, October 28, 1980
  4. ^ Fresh Air, October 21, 2004.
  5. ^ Will, George F. (August 11, 2005). "Briefing Book Baloney". The Washington Post. p. A23.
  6. ^ Carter, Jimmy (August 31, 2005). "Putting an End to the 'Briefing Book Baloney'" (Letter to the Editor). The Washington Post. p. A22.
  7. ^ Solomon, Norman (January 2, 2004). "George Will's Ethics — None of Our Business?". Counter Punch. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  8. ^ Steinberg, Jacques and Geraldine Fabrikant (December 22, 2003). "Friendship and Business Blur in the World of a Media Baron". New York Times. Reprinted in by CommonDreams.org. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  9. ^ Will, George F. (June 5, 2008). "The Gas Prices We Deserve". Washington Post. p. A19.
  10. ^ "Yahoo!News article on Cheney's comment on oil drilling". June 13, 2008.
  11. ^ Kolawole, Emi (2008). "Are the Chinese drilling off the coast of Cuba?". FactCheck.org. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  12. ^ Will, George F. (February 15, 2009). "Dark Green Doomsayers". Retrieved 2009-02-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ Monbiot, George. George Will's climate howlers, The Guardian. February 18, 2009.
  14. ^ "The Cryosphere Today". February 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ Will, George F. Climate Science in A Tornado Washington Post. February 27, 2009.
  16. ^ Monbiot, George. We all make mistakes but Washington Post's George Will just won't admit his, The Guardian. March 3, 2009.
  17. ^ Mooney, Chris Climate Change Myths and Facts "Washington Post". March 22 2009.
  18. ^ Will, George F. (March 2, 2006). "Rhetoric of Unreality: Where Is Iraq After Nearly 3 Years of War?". The Washington Post. p. A21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ Will, George. (Summer 2006). "Cato: Upholding the Idea of Liberty" (PDF). Cato's Letter. 4 (3). Retrieved 2008-08-31.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  20. ^ Will, George F. (October 30, 2008). "Call Him John the Careless". The Washington Post. p. A23.
  21. ^ Will, George F. (April 14, 2005). "Eugenics By Abortion: Is perfection an entitlement?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-09-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Will, George F. (January 29, 2007). "Will: The Attack on Kids With Down Syndrome". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2007-05-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "George Will tells Washington University graduates: "Don't let your babies grow up to be Cub fans"". For Expert Comment. Washington University. May 15, 1998. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  24. ^ Will, George F. (April 7, 2008). "The Last Word:Your Brain on Cubs'". Newsweek. Retrieved 2008-08-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "George Will". The Colbert Report. Comedy Central. June 3, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

See also

Secular right

References

  • Will, George F. (August 10, 2005). "Briefing Book Baloney". Washington Post. p. A23. (Will's column rebutting briefing book allegation)
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Biography

Works

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