Across the Atlantic, there was John Major. There was Helmut Kohl, the one politician of our era whose name perfectly matched his persona. Kohl served as Chancellor for 15 years, longer than any major politician of our era, including Mrs. Thatcher. Under him, Germany was reunified. Nevertheless, a kind of public amnesia spreads regarding his career.
Japanese premiers come and go.
No one notices. Reagan, Thatcher, and Gorbachev seem to be the last of the memorable world leaders. They were the last ones who had anything to say and the rhetorical skills to say it. Pat Buchanan s speech at the 1992 Republican convention on the culture war was delivered eight years ago, and he has been excoriated by political analysts of all shades of opinion ever since. This year s Republican convention was choreographed to avoid any trace of confrontation.