Hi Kirk:

I couldn't find anywhere in Salon to leave a comment, so I looked you up - sorry if this is off topic but I just loved your article on David Brooks.

One thing to think about - you wrote as if his writings on character are a new turn for him. It seems to me (just skimming through his writings over the years) he's been on and off about that for several decades, only digging in deeper now that he's lost his identity as a Republican (well, not lost but at least gotten confused)

I think the key - which you pointed to in your article - is that the "elite" on the Right (which David admits he's part of) work so hard against David's ideals that he just can't face the fact that by supporting people like Bush for so many years, he's helped to bring in policies which so decimate any sense of community, and which lead to the kind of breakdown that he is always expressing his concern about.

Good job, really enjoying your writing.