Love the man’s clear-eyed, unsentimental prose and his unblinking commentary on Bret Baier’s Special Report news program on Fox. Charles Krauthammer had a wicked sense of humor. He was a true conservative, critical of Trump (in stark contrast to orange-nosed Sean Trumpitty), and the smartest man in any room he entered. A renowned psychiatrist and Pulitzer Prize-winning commentator for the Washington Post. An intellectual heavyweight.

Whenever his name was announced on the “All-Star Panel,” the Lovely Lisa and Your Humble Squire would rise to our feet, raise hands heavenward and proclaim “CHARLES!” Absent for nearly a year, Brett Baier a week ago announced that Charles was on the mend. Now we learn that he has only weeks to live. “This is the final verdict; my fight is over.”

I espied the man in Cleveland at the National Republican Convention two summers ago and took this selfie.

[ NEW CONTENT: a golden oldie, Charles says “if you wanted Trump not to be president perhaps you should have persuaded  Hillary to go to Wisconsin, just once, if only for the cheese.” ]

As long as we are writing about great men, here is another reason people love Tommy Thompson. He does not forget his friends. We visited the memorial service last Saturday 06-02-18 for our old Dane County Board colleague Dave Wiganowsky. Here the governor poses with Dave’s wife Angie at their bar on Madison’s northeast side, Wiggy’s. Tommy T. was always a supporter of conservatives at the county board level; his own father had served in that capacity in Juneau County.

Tommy Thompson with Angie Wiganowski

Saw brother Mike-boy and Peg. Mike had always wanted a reunion of our conservative majority; Wiggy’s memorial was it, I guess. Saw Vern Wendt, Eric Gordon, Joan Weckmueller, Gail Rutkowski, Jim Campbell, Bob Salov (still serving), and Jerry Derr (the 38th member). Came late from a motorcycle ride up north, sure we missed others but those were the ones we saw. Many many others who were unfamiliar; the place was packed for a great guy, Dave Wignanowski. He was all heart.

Looking back, we’ve lost a lot of friends from those county board days: Lyman Anderson, Bill Hitzemann, Don Heiliger, Judy Wilcox, Dave Hanneman, Gene Kraft, Jack Moore, Kevin Kesterson among them. Time marches on.