The reader who clicked on “Personal & confidential: William A. Rusher” has outed himself. Rusher biographer David Frisk wrote to comment on my quotation of the striking Yeats poem Rusher had recited when I saw him debate the colorless Massachusetts liberal Rep. Michael Harrington at Dartmouth in 1971 or 1972:
Many thanks for your post about William Rusher at Power Line. In my biography If Not Us, Who? William Rusher, National Review, and the Conservative Movement (ISI Books, 2012), I quoted one of his favorite poems, a sonnet Rusher wrote in half an hour as a young man — he recited it, too, from memory — and one other poetic item, which he wrote as a toast; all three of them in full, if my recollection is right.
Had I known about that eloquent, incisive Yeats poem and Rusher’s use of it, I probably would have quoted it as well! As you say, it is both timeless and timely. And along with your fond recollections of Rusher, it’s a great item for your excellent site, which I read daily.
If you’re interested in seeing them and haven’t — I’ve written three essays about him for the Bill Rusher Centennial site. It was established two years ago by friends of his, Ken Miller and Roger Mertz, and I’ve provided a fair amount of its content.
Best wishes to you and Power Line,
David Frisk, Ph.D.
Resident Fellow, Alexander Hamilton Institute
for the Study of Western Civilization (AHI)
I am grateful for the opportunity to add Mr. Frisk’s message to my happy personal remembrance of Rusher.
