Krauthammer: Our Churchill

Charles Krauthammer was the closing act Friday night at the National Review Summit.  For Americans who set their clocks to turn on Fox News every weekday at 6:45 PM it was a rare opportunity to hear the Sage of Washington DC go for extended riffs without being interrupted by Juan Williams or the unforgiving clock of a cable news "hard break."  

Rich Lowry did a great job asking insightful questions and then getting out of the way to let "The Hammer" be "The Hammer."  

Here are a few choice quotations and revelations from the exchange that almost evoke a Churchillian wisdom and wit:  

"There's a reason why in New York Harbor we have the Statue of Liberty, not the Statue of Equality."

"The biggest crime of American Liberalism was to consign a generation of inner city children to a life of desperation."

"No matter how well intentioned American Liberalism was, it destroyed an entire sector of American society."

Krauthammer on his favorite liberal columnist: "If I were to say 'David Brooks' I would be misunderstood."

"If you run a conservative against a social democrat in this country on an even playing field, the conservative will win. "

"I had a communist phase in my youth.  It lasted a weekend.  It was a hell of a weekend"

Revealed: Krauthammer accepted a draw after 2 moves when playing chess with Gary Kasparov.

"Had Republicans been able to replicate the feeling of 2010 (citizens vs. state rather than Romney v. Obama) we may have won"

Revealed: GOP House demanding Senate budget in exchange for debt ceiling increase was Krauthammer's recommendation.

Krauthammer on border security: "Fences work."

Krauthammer on illegal immigration: Stop the hemorrhaging, legalization, not citizenship.

"In my youth I was a Social Democrat... Which at the time made me a right-winger"

Krauthammer on who should run in 2016: "Some people have approached me..."