Frye is a classic example of the better kind of old-style foreign policy establishment figure. Smart, experienced, knowledgeable, well-intentioned, vaguely centrist in a good-government, internationalist kind of way, and utterly conventional in practically everything he says and thinks. A nice guy, a man of character and somebody who can provide lots of information and sensible commentary, but not the kind of person one goes to for truly deep insight or creative thought.
If that sounds like I'm damning with faint praise, there's some truth to that--but the praise is real, even if faint, because people like him represent something valuable for the country--collectively, a sort of political, moral, and intellectual ballast that helps keep the ship of state afloat and on course. They're getting fewer and farther between in the slick Willie/Fox News era, and the nation is worse off for their passing.
tb@anelegaicnote.com |
