Tributes to Dean Barnett
Dean Barnett, who passed away today, touched the lives of so many with his kindness, courage, wit, and good humor. The outpouring of tributes to Dean and condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues has already been tremendous. Here are just a few from his many friends and admirers.
Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review
Peter Robinson, National Review
Allahpundit and Ed Morrissey, HotAir.com
Patrick Ruffini, The Next Right
Paul Mirengoff and John Hinderaker, Powerline
Update:
Carol Platt Liebau, Townhall.com
Quin Hillyer, The American Spectator:
I never met Dean in person, but in addition to being a lively and perspicacious blogger/analyst, he was a delightful correspondent. We disagreed substantially on our assessment of matters relating to golf, and
agreed in a profound way with each other when it came to our beloved Red Sox, but either way--agree or disagree--his missives were full of good humor and a zest for both sport and for life in general. Most of all, though, he loved his country, and his contributions to the cause, in the blogosphere and on radio, were invaluable.
I never met Dean Barnett. I don't know what he looked like, never knew what he did for a living or, until today, when he died from cystic fibrosis, how old he was. But as soon as I stumbled onto his Soxblog a few years ago I knew this was a clear-headed, humane, no-BS person--the sort of person the Internet is supposed to discover and promote, which it did. Barnett was a man of the right. Here is the gracious tribute he posted when Steve Gilliard, a caustic Kos blogger whom he admired, died--also at 41.
Really sad, horrendous news: Dean Barnett has died, at the age of 41, of cystic fibrosis. I wrote about Dean here a couple of weeks ago, in the bottom section of the post. Here's a 2006 article by Dean, bravely writing about his battle with that horrific disease. And here's a very recent interview he gave about many things, including the times he invited me to appear with him when he guest-hosted The Hugh Hewitt Show. Condolences to his family and friends.