John Hawkins has posted his second interview with one of the most lucid and erudite columnists currently writing, Mark Steyn. John's been doing a great job getting major media figures for interviews, and his interview with Steyn shows why. It's an excellent read. (The first interview can be found here.)

Like my friends at Power Line, however, I have to take a bit of special pride in this passage at the end:

John Hawkins: So what blogs are you reading regularly these days?

Mark Steyn: I read a wide range. They come and go, but I’m still reading many of those I mentioned to you last time round, like Natalie Solent in Britain and Tim Blair down under. Going back to my earlier point about the dullness of many newspaper comment pages, look at, say, Saskatchewan: it’s got a yawnsville newspaper - The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix – and one of the sharpest bloggers on the planet, Kate McMillan. I don't know Miss McMillan, never met her, doubt I ever will, but she's a thousand times pithier and more insightful than the fellows holding down the columnar real estate at the Star-Phoenix. Someone should snap her up just for the sharpness of her headlines, one-line squibs, and nifty asides. It's the same with the Power Line guys vs. the Star-Tribune in Minnesota.

One of the great lessons of the last few years is that journalism schools build their guild mentality at the expense of everything else - the ability to write, the ability to make an argument, an eye for a story, or even basic curiosity about the world we live in. It’s the pomposity of the mainstream press that will do for them: They're simply not as nimble as a fellow like Captain Ed. I should add in fairness that there are those with a foot in both camps - like the great Michelle Malkin - who understand the new world very well.

Considering the source, whose writing I have long admired, that is high praise indeed and a highlight for my blogging career. My thanks to Mr. Steyn, and also to John for his excellent work.

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