Last Thursday, at Washington D.C.'s Catholic University of America, two representatives from different sides of the conservative divide faced off. The New York Post's Sohrab Ahmari and National Review's David French sat in armchairs on a Heritage Hall platform, flanking moderator and New York Timescommentator Ross Douthat.
Before the debate even began, there was a pseudo-hysteric energy permeating the room. Everyone's brow seemed a little furrowed, perhaps because we'd all arrived expecting an ideological brawl. And boy did we get one. French had shown up in a mood of obvious indignation—and understandably so. It was out of nowhere that Ahmari had lambasted his moral and political courage in a May First Things piece. Throughout the evening, sincere anger over that attack peeked through French's speech, and with each personal goad on the part of Ahmari, his face grew redder and redder. Indeed, when Ahmari cast suspicion on French's bravery during his service in Iraq, Douthat, positioned between the two, appeared a little afraid for his physical welfare.
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