Irving Kristol, the political writer and publisher known as the
"godfather" of American neoconservatism, died Friday at the age of 89.
The
Weekly Standard magazine said on its Web site "Kristol's wisdom, wit,
good humor, and generosity of spirit made him a friend and a mentor to
several generations of thinkers and public servants." The magazine is
edited by his son, William Kristol.
A Trotskyist in the 1930,
Irving Kristol's youthful radicalism evolved into a rejection of
communism. In the 1970s, he broke from liberalism after becoming
increasingly disillusioned with the society.
In 2002, former President George W. Bush awarded him a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the top U.S. civilian honor.
Kristol once memorably said that neoconservatives were "liberals mugged by reality."
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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