the national interest

Who Could David Frum Be Talking About?

David Frum, columnist and former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, speaks during a live taping of 'Meet the Press' at NBC studios March 15, 2009 in Washington, DC. Dr. Christina Romer, Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), House Republican Whip, David Frum, Columnist and former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, Katty Kay, Washington Correspondent for BBC World News America, Steve Liesman, Senior Economics Reporter at CNBC, Tavis Smiley, host of PBS's Tavis Smiley and PRI's The Tavis Smiley Show, appeared on the show to speak about politics and the US economy.
One clue! Okay, maybe a bunch of clues. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Politico interviews prodigal conservative David Frum, and this exchange ensues:

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Q: Think of one of your least favorite people in Washington and, without naming him or her, describe what makes that person so unappealing.

A: The willingness to treat facts and knowledge as commodities at the service of a paying customer.

Hmm. To whom could he be referring? A few possibly relevant items:

1. David Frum fired by the American Enterprise Institute, a prominent conservative institution.

2. Frum writes, “It’s true that cynicism is never entirely absent from politics: I won’t soon forget the lupine smile that played about the lips of the leader of one prominent conservative institution as he told me, “Our donors truly think the apocalypse has arrived.”

3. AEI president Arthur Brooks displays an approach to facts that is less than scrupulous.

No more hints. Guess away!

Who Could David Frum Be Talking About?