[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Emcee Ben Stein, sometime character actor and the magazine's dry and witty diarist, ribbed nearly everyone with jokes between speeches, but the most memorable moment came when Solicitor General Theodore Olson was called to the podium to talk about his late wife, Barbara, for whom the foundation's award for excellence and independence in journalism is named.

Nice subject, nice article--except for the confusing nature of that run-on sentence. I was afraid I was being told that Ben Stein was ribbing Ted Olson about Barbara . . .

That sentence works, by itself--if I know that

The foundation honored Mr. Pruden with the 2003 Barbara Olson Award.

But if you're not gonna tell me that 'til later, the thoughts in that earlier sentence should not only be in seperate sentences but even in seperate paragraphs.

[trebb]

Evidently, there is not a large Polish vote in Georgia

LOL - I'm Polish and am proud to say that we are probably one of the least "sensitive" groups in the world. Besides, he's right; polkas do all sound the same, there is no mistaking them for another genre of music. All I can say to the dwarves is Let's Polka!"

[veronica]

I can't think of Barbara Olson without welling up. I pray we never forget.

[Middle Man]

"...Ben Stein, sometime character actor and the magazine's dry and witty diarist..."

Thank heaven he didn't show up wringing wet.