I saw the headline at Drudge, and instantly felt sad. I have always liked Tony Blankley, greatly appreciating his personality, his take on current events, and his political positions. A few years ago I picked up his book The West's Last Chance: Will We Win the Clash of Civilizations? (2005)
The book jacket describes Blankley this way:
Blankley was the editorial page editor of the Washington Times, a regular panelist on The McLaughlin Group, a nationally syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate, and a popular radio and television pundit. For seven years he was press secretary to then Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, and before that served President ronal Reagan as a speechwriter and senior policy analyst.
According to a bio put out by the Washington Times, Blankley died of stomach cancer. Here are some facts of which I had no previous knowledge:
Born in London, he became a naturalized American citizen after his parents moved to California after World War II. As a child, he acted in such television shows as “Lassie,” “Highway Patrol” and “Make Room for Daddy,” and he also appeared in movies with such stars as Humphrey Bogart and Rod Steiger.
He and his wife, Dr. Lynda Davis of Great Falls, Va., had three children.
Mona Charen writes:
Tony was a man of integrity, intelligence, and good sense. Over the course of many years, I never saw him do a petty or mean thing. He ably defended conservatism and he was always a delightful companion. Deepest sympathies to his wife Lynda and his three children. This is a hard loss.
Me: The world has lost a good man and a persuasive voice for clear-headed conservatism.