A new book. Things that matter is not a confessional memoir or scandalous kissandtell. Its a collection of newspaper and magazine pieces from the pulitzer prizewinning columnist. Or maybe its more than that. Are you decoding my book . I am decoding it right now. Like its entirely about me. [ laughs ] but its all written in hieroglyphics. Well, its not quite as impenetrable as hieroglyphics. Lets start with part one of your book, and it is titled personal. And in there, the first column is really an incredibly moving piece about your brother. Marcel krauthammer died of cancer. He was 59. Charles writes this about his older brother. He taught me most everything i ever learned about every sport i ever played. He taught me how to throw a football, hit a backhand, grip a nine iron, field a grounder, dock a sailboat in the tailing wind. And how we played. It was paradise. Tell me about that. It was a paradisiacal childhood. My brother and i were inseparable. He was four years older, which is
occasionally will throw a bone to the right? nobody had any ideas. well, that was part of mr. obama s great strength. he was a national rorschach test. so we spent three hours with this new man. he leaves, and we re staying behind a little bit, and i say the same question. is he a centrist? is he a lefty? nobody knew. you think you ve figured him out? i figured him out after that first state of the union speech. we will invest $15 billion a year to develop technologies like wind power and solar power. we can no longer afford to put healthcare reform on hold. it will be the goal of this administration to ensure. i was so astonished that i wrote five columns in a row on what kind of unusual political animal he was in giving an agenda as radical as any since fdr. he basically said, i m not here to tinker. i ve come here to transform america. you ve been pretty tough on this administration, this president. well, i think he s done just about everything wrong.
as the saying goes, he wrote about what he knew. his first article, the expanding shrink, protested how psychoanalysis was creeping into political discourse. for example, president carter s famous malaise speech that blamed the horrible economy on americans crisis of confidence. they liked it and they published it, and i got lucky again. it was republished on the op-ed page of the washington post. it was the first time any article in the new republic had been picked up by the post. krauthammer wrote a few more pieces for the magazine and might have joined the staff, except he got an even more intriguing offer as a speech writer for vice president walter mondale. that lasted six months. and when we got totally crushed in the general election, i got a call from the new republic, and they said, we think you re unemployed now. would you like to come work for us? i said yes right away and started on the day reagan was sworn in. that s the first day i started at the new republic
to the right? nobody had any ideas. well, that was part of mr. obama s great strength. he was a national rorschach test. so we spent three hours with this new man. he leaves, and we re staying behind a little bit, and i say the same question. is he a centrist? is he a lefty? nobody knew. you think you ve figured him out? i figured him out after that first state of the union speech. we will invest $15 billion a year to develop technologies like wind power and solar power. we can no longer afford to put healthcare reform on hold. it will be the goal of this administration to ensure. i was so astonished that i wrote five columns in a row on what kind of unusual political animal he was in giving an agenda as radical as any since fdr. he basically said, i m not here to tinker. i ve come here to transform america. you ve been pretty tough on this administration, this president. well, i think he s done just about everything wrong. [ chuckles ]
to the right? nobody had any ideas. well, that was part of mr. obama s great strength. he was a national rorschach test. so we spent three hours with this new man. he leaves, and we re staying behind a little bit, and i say the same question. is he a centrist? is he a lefty? nobody knew. you think you ve figured him out? i figured him out after that first state of the union speech. we will invest $15 billion a year to develop technologies like wind power and solar power. we can no longer afford to put healthcare reform on hold. it will be the goal of this administration to ensure. i was so astonished that i wrote five columns in a row on what kind of unusual political animal he was in giving an agenda as radical as any since fdr. he basically said, i m not here to tinker. i ve come here to transform america. you ve been pretty tough on this administration, this president. well, i think he s done just about everything wrong. [ chuckles ]