The Best and Brightest

Everything I learned about journalism, the media, the 60s, even rowing, I first learned about from David Halberstam.

Starting from high school when I first discovered The Best and the Brightest, I consumed all of his books. How could one man have so much to say on such a wide swath of topics? But he did.

And how he's dead.

I spent Saturday at the Berkeley school of journalism, for an alumni weekend session on journalism and history. David Halberstam's talk was a natural culmination to the day. Just like his books, he was smart, witty and expansive. Especially about the stupidity of the Iraq war.

The world will be less bright without him.