Remembering Michael Kelly

[As should be obvious, I'm catching up on my Corner reading. While doing so, I noticed that K-Lo quoted Michael Kelly.]

I am reminded that I've been meaning to post on Mr. Kelly for some time now. I believe that he is and will remain my favorite columnist for all time.

I'm not quite sure what it is in his writings that I love so much. What I do know is that his cogency was refreshing and his humanity evident in his work. In a similar manner as Christopher Hitchens (whom I also adore), he captured complex ideas and presented them in a way that was accessible. Yet unlike Hitchens, Kelly did so with mostly frank and regular language. Like great writers do, of course, he made it sound elegant.

I think we all have our own moments when we realize that some situations in life aren't merely theoretical exercises for our sense of wonder; by that I mean points when something finally "hits home."

And while I feel guilty saying so, the war in Iraq "hit home" for me, not when I heard of soldiers being killed (even though I had friends fighting over there), but when I heard the news that Michael Kelly was killed while covering the story.

I was moved and profoundly sad. I felt and still feel that as a country we were better off with Mr. Kelly's sobering observations and guidance. At a minimum, I surely miss the pleasure of reading his columns.

I often wonder why no one (at least until K-Lo's citation today) has talked of Michael Kelly and remembered all of the predictions and guidance that he offered. More and more, it seems that -- as tended to be the case when he was with us in life -- history is proving him to be prescient about so many things.

After Mr. Kelly's death, the Washington Post printed a sort of "Best-Of" section of his works. The one that has stuck with me is not a work on politics, but his work "Not a White-Lights Person." In it, Kelly uses his thoughts on Christmas lights as an avenue to speak in the end of his love for his family and the many blessings of his life. He is thoughtful, sincere, and touching. It is a perfect piece by a wonderful writer.

It makes us remember what we lost.