While reading Steven Hayward's thoroughly excellent two book history of Ronald Reagan (The Age of Reagan), I found myself becoming exhausted at times. Not in a bad way. What it came down to was that Hayward's research was so incredibly exhaustive. On one page he would be discussing a weapons system in detail, on the next he would be talking about a judicial appointment, the next would be about the intricacies of a tax bill. I was exhausted because I couldn't imagine how Hayward did what he did. He's told me that he loves research. Simple as that, I suppose.
In his Age of Reagan books, Hayward regularly quoted the great George Will. Why wouldn't he have? If the purpose is to chronicle the age during which Reagan was wildly consequential, how could a historian not regularly reference one of the most consequential thinkers in the history of the conservative movement? Will is again all over Hayward's history, and in reading Will's excellent new love letter, policy guide and (perhaps) goodbye (let's hope not) to the conservative movement that he so shaped, The Conservative Sensibility, I found myself thinking of Hayward again. I did because like Hayward's, Will's analysis is so very thorough, so exhausting in a good way. How did he do this? Amazing quotes from Montesquieu, Lincoln, Rawls, Robespierre, and seemingly everyone else of historical, philosophical and political importance on page after page, along with countless historical tidbits that bring life to what he's explaining. To say that Will wrote a brilliant book brings new meaning to understatement. I wish it was more optimistic, think there's an optimistic case to be made about what has him pessimistic, but it doesn't mean the book isn't a great read.
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