George F. Will
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Articles by George F. Will
WILL COLUMN: Fill the government with barbarians, you get barbaric government
To understand Pete Hegseth, go beyond superficial judgments about his carefully curated image. Beneath the tattooed and testosterone-obsessed public persona there lurks altruism. He aspires to be America’s tutor. Understand this: The secretary of war wants to improve us. A live-streamed execution by firing squad might seem a problematic instrument for the nation’s moral regeneration. Nidal Hasan’s execution is scheduled for Dec.
WILL COLUMN: The Republican senator who’s fed up with presidential family sleaze
John Curtis is happy, even though he is a U.S. senator. And although his demeanor is as mild as an Indian summer in October, the Republican has done something comparable to poking a puma with a short stick. After a business career, Curtis became mayor of Provo, Utah’s fourth-largest city, then served three terms in the House. He could be as unhappy as former executives often are when they find themselves waist-deep in the molasses of legislative processes.
Fill the government with barbarians, you get barbaric government
To understand Pete Hegseth, go beyond superficial judgments about his carefully curated image. Beneath the tattooed and testosterone-obsessed public persona there lurks altruism. He aspires to be America’s tutor. Understand this: The secretary of war wants to improve us. A live-streamed execution by firing squad might seem a problematic instrument for the nation’s moral regeneration. Nidal Hasan’s execution is scheduled for Dec.
French Debts Could End Up ‘Gone With the Wind,’ If Far-Left’s Tactic Is Embraced
Columnists ‘I’ll think about that tomorrow,’ is how Scarlett O’Hara put it. Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara in the 1939 film 'Gone With the Wind.' Bettmann via Getty Images Euphemisms have their uses. They can facilitate the transition of an idea from something unthinkable to something discussable, en route to becoming part of normal political discourse.
Fill the Government With Barbarians, You Get Barbaric Government
US President Donald Trump, left, and Pete Hegseth, US secretary of defense, during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC. (photo: Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg) Pete Hegseth wants to morally instruct America with a public execution? The proper response is revulsion. To understand Pete Hegseth, go beyond superficial judgments about his carefully curated image. Beneath the tattooed and testosterone-obsessed public persona there lurks altruism. He aspires to be America’s tutor.
Fill the government with barbarians, you get barbaric government
Fill the government with barbarians, you get barbaric government (washingtonpost.com) Fill the government with barbarians, you get barbaric government By George F. Will 2026101116110400 To understand Pete Hegseth, go beyond superficial judgments about his carefully curated image. Beneath the tattooed and testosterone-obsessed public persona there lurks altruism. He aspires to be America's tutor. Understand this: The secretary of war wants to improve us.
OPINION: The Republican senator who’s fed up with presidential family sleaze
John Curtis is happy, even though he is a U.S. senator. And although his demeanor is as mild as an Indian summer in October, the Republican has done something comparable to poking a puma with a short stick. After a business career, Curtis became mayor of Provo, Utah’s fourth-largest city, then served three terms in the House. He could be as unhappy as former executives often are when they find themselves waist-deep in the molasses of legislative processes.
A French debt solution: Burn it. Freeze it. Anything but address it.
A French debt solution: Burn it. Freeze it. Anything but address it. (washingtonpost.com) A French debt solution: Burn it. Freeze it. Anything but address it. By George F. Will 2026100911010600 Euphemisms have their uses. They can facilitate the transition of an idea from something unthinkable to something discussable, en route to becoming part of normal political discourse.
A French debt solution: Burn it. Freeze it. Anything but address it.
Euphemisms have their uses. They can facilitate the transition of an idea from something unthinkable to something discussable, en route to becoming part of normal political discourse. Historians might someday conclude that an example of this began in 2026, when a French presidential candidate made a hitherto fringe idea central to his campaign.
A grim prognosis for the post-literate future
Supposed menaces multiply rapidly as technologies - smartphones, artificial intelligence - mutate. But the most menacing development involves no exotic technology, so it is disregarded. But not by James Marriott. This British thinker warns us: An artifact that enabled modernity - skepticism, rationality, science, democracy - is now of rapidly dwindling importance. This artifact, which onlookers said “addicted” its early adopters, was: the book.
The Republican senator who’s fed up with presidential family sleaze
The Republican senator who’s fed up with presidential family sleaze (washingtonpost.com) The Republican senator who’s fed up with presidential family sleaze By George F. Will 2026100711470500 John Curtis is happy, even though he is a U.S. senator. And although his demeanor is as mild as an Indian summer in October, the Republican has done something comparable to poking a puma with a short stick.
‘Digital Bombardment’ Via Smart Phones and Social Media Threatens a Post-Literate ‘New Dark Ages’
Columnists Yet the most menacing development involves no exotic technology, so it is disregarded. Rampant smart phone use threatens the intellectual foundations of Western society. Getty Images Supposed menaces multiply rapidly as technologies — smartphones, artificial intelligence — mutate. Yet the most menacing development involves no exotic technology, so it is disregarded.
In the GOP’s Impending Midterm Deluge, These Two Senate Candidates Deserve To Be Spared
Columnists Voters would be wise to remember: If there is no penalty for travesties, travesties will proliferate. Senator Susan Collins on Capitol Hill, June 2, 2026.
Bring on the midterm GOP carnage. But spare these two Senate candidates.
Bring on the midterm GOP carnage. But spare these two Senate candidates. (washingtonpost.com) Bring on the midterm GOP carnage. But spare these two Senate candidates. By George F.
Bring on the midterm GOP carnage. But spare these two Senate candidates.
Few who have ever lived could have had inscribed on their gravestones epitaphs as stirring as Thomas Jefferson’s: “Author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and father of the University of Virginia.” All but a few Americans currently living can, however, inscribe this: “At least I was not a Republican member of Congress during Donald Trump’s presidencies.” It is sensible to hope that on Nov.
From the desk of…A grim prognosis for the post-literate future
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Supposed menaces multiply rapidly as technologies – smartphones, artificial intelligence – mutate. But the most menacing development involves no exotic technology, so it is disregarded. But not by James Marriott. This British thinker warns us: An artifact that enabled modernity – skepticism, rationality, science, democracy – is now of rapidly dwindling importance. This artifact, which onlookers said “addicted” its early adopters, was: the book. So, read one.
WILL COLUMN: A grim prognosis for the post-literate future
Supposed menaces multiply rapidly as technologies — smartphones, artificial intelligence — mutate. But the most menacing development involves no exotic technology, so it is disregarded. But not by James Marriott. This British thinker warns us: An artifact that enabled modernity — skepticism, rationality, science, democracy — is now of rapidly dwindling importance. This artifact, which onlookers said “addicted” its early adopters, was: the book.
A grim prognosis for the post-literate future
A grim prognosis for the post-literate future (washingtonpost.com) A grim prognosis for the post-literate future By George F. Will 2026093011011200 Supposed menaces multiply rapidly as technologies — smartphones, artificial intelligence — mutate. But the most menacing development involves no exotic technology, so it is disregarded. But not by James Marriott.
Opinion: Column by George F. Will
That one of America’s worst laws was passed with good intentions does not diminish the suffering it has caused. Beyond broken hearts and bodies, the Indian Child Welfare Act has, as identity politics invariably do, stained American law by sacrificing individual rights to a group’s interests. The stain is not indelible. The Supreme Court can begin expunging it by deciding to hear a case that highlights the ICWA’s incompatibility with the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection of the laws.
WILL COLUMN: Religious ‘integralists’ on the right, meet your socialist soulmates
Undeterred by the axiom that there can be indecent exposure of the mind as well as the body, the Democratic Socialists of America candidly announce their agenda. Religious “integralists” should be similarly explicit. DSAers want to scrap the Constitution in order to facilitate confiscating wealth, private property and other impediments to government-enforced equality and social perfection.
Where Zohran Mamdani and JD Vance Find Unexpected Common Ground
Columnists Today’s religious right echoes the DSA’s demands for government-enforced social uniformity. Vice President Vance speaks during a press conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on May 19, 2026. Heather Diehl/Getty Images Undeterred by the axiom that there can be indecent exposure of the mind as well as the body, the Democratic Socialists of America candidly announce their agenda. Religious “integralists” should be similarly explicit.
Religious ‘integralists’ on the right, meet your socialist soulmates
Religious ‘integralists’ on the right, meet your socialist soulmates (washingtonpost.com) Religious ‘integralists’ on the right, meet your socialist soulmates By George F. Will 2026092511010600 Undeterred by the axiom that there can be indecent exposure of the mind as well as the body, the Democratic Socialists of America candidly announce their agenda. Religious "integralists" should be similarly explicit.
The Supreme Court has a good chance to start fixing a bad law
That one of America’s worst laws was passed with good intentions does not diminish the suffering it has caused. Beyond broken hearts and bodies, the Indian Child Welfare Act has, as identity politics invariably do, stained American law by sacrificing individual rights to a group’s interests. The stain is not indelible.
The Supreme Court has a good chance to start fixing a bad law
By GEORGE WILLThat one of America’s worst laws was passed with good intentions does not diminish the suffering it has caused. Beyond broken hearts and bodies, the Indian Child Welfare Act has, as identity politics invariably do, stained American law by sacrificing individual rights to a group’s interests. The stain is not indelible. On Monday, Sept.
WILL COLUMN: Weighing the ‘disastrous, cascading consequences’ if China takes Taiwan
Deterrence employs military, diplomatic, economic, technological and political measures to prevent wars. The number of times deterrence has failed approximately equals the number of wars history has seen. Deterrence failed to protect Ukraine against aggression, the consequences of which are slight compared with those that would follow a failure to deter Chinese President Xi Jinping from invading Taiwan, or attempting to coerce its surrender by measures (intended to be) just short of war.
The Supreme Court has a good chance to start fixing a bad law
The Supreme Court has a good chance to start fixing a bad law (washingtonpost.com) The Supreme Court has a good chance to start fixing a bad law By George F. Will 2026092311010500 That one of America's worst laws was passed with good intentions does not diminish the suffering it has caused. Beyond broken hearts and bodies, the Indian Child Welfare Act has, as identity politics invariably do, stained American law by sacrificing individual rights to a group's interests. The stain is not indelible.
Will: Weighing the ‘disastrous, cascading consequences’ if China takes Taiwan
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Deterrence employs military, diplomatic, economic, technological and political measures to prevent wars. The number of times deterrence has failed approximately equals the number of wars history has seen. Already have an account? Log In This article is only available to subscribers
‘Disastrous, Cascading Consequences’ Would Ensue If Communist China Captures Taiwan
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Weighing the ‘disastrous, cascading consequences’ if China takes Taiwan
Weighing the ‘disastrous, cascading consequences’ if China takes Taiwan (washingtonpost.com) Weighing the ‘disastrous, cascading consequences’ if China takes Taiwan By George F. Will 2026091811010500 Deterrence employs military, diplomatic, economic, technological and political measures to prevent wars. The number of times deterrence has failed approximately equals the number of wars history has seen.
Will: Independence-minded South Carolina has an alternative to Darline Graham
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... In November, South Carolinians’ choice of their next U.S. senator will indicate whether their pride about their independence still endures. Already have an account? Log In This article is only available to subscribers
Independence-minded SC has an alternative to Darline Graham
KIAWAH ISLAND — South Carolina’s residents can be droll about their ample self-regard, as when they say: By flowing into Charleston Harbor, the Ashley and Cooper rivers create the Atlantic Ocean. In November, South Carolinians’ choice of their next U.S. senator will indicate whether their pride about their independence still endures.
Independence-minded South Carolina has an alternative to Darline Graham
Independence-minded South Carolina has an alternative to Darline Graham (washingtonpost.com) Independence-minded South Carolina has an alternative to Darline Graham By George F. Will 2026091611010700 KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — This state's residents can be droll about their ample self-regard, as when they say: By flowing into Charleston Harbor, the Ashley and Cooper rivers create the Atlantic Ocean.
WILL: Jacobsen’s ‘Biological War’ is a disturbing summons to seriousness Original
Three months before 9/11, some former Cabinet-level officials and subject-matter experts met near Washington to conduct a war game testing the nation’s ability to respond to a biological weapons attack. The postulated weapon was a smallpox pathogen. This exercise assumed that a Russian scientist, working at a lab in Siberia, sold smallpox to al-Qaeda.
Rethinking the haphazard marijuana social experiment
Unfortunately, the structure of certain atoms makes nuclear weapons possible. Any list of other regrettable aspects of reality should include this: Certain molecules derived from plants interact in addictive ways with the human nervous system. So, Americans must continue rethinking policies regarding marijuana. Justice Louis Brandeis’s dictum that federalism enables each American state to be a “laboratory” of democracy is especially apt today.
OPINION: Dolly Parton: Gifted in song and storytelling, she got the rainbow
The doctor who ushered the infant Dolly Rebecca Parton into the world in 1946 was paid with a sack of cornmeal. Such was the transactional nature of health care for some around the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. Her father and mother had been 17 and 15, respectively, when they married, and could not have imagined how the world would be their daughter’s oyster. But not immediately.
WILL: Gifted in song and storytelling, Dolly Parton got the rainbow
The doctor who ushered the infant Dolly Rebecca Parton into the world in 1946 was paid with a sack of cornmeal. Such was the transactional nature of health care for some around the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. Her father and mother had been 17 and 15, respectively, when they married, and could not have imagined how the world would be their daughter’s oyster. But not immediately.
Will: The addled college football cartel wants to huddle up with Congress
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Football is a mistake. Bodies, and especially brains, are not built to withstand its repeated collisions. Culturally, college football scratches the human itch for tribalism, which America’s ethos of individualism fortunately discourages. And big-time football attached to higher education is, suddenly, educational. Already have an account? Log In This article is only available to subscribers
WILL: Gifted in song and storytelling, Dolly Parton got the rainbow
The doctor who ushered the infant Dolly Rebecca Parton into the world in 1946 was paid with a sack of cornmeal. Such was the transactional nature of health care for some around the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. Her father and mother had been 17 and 15, respectively, when they married, and could not have imagined how the world would be their daughter’s oyster. But not immediately.
George F. Will: The addled college football cartel wants to huddle up with Congress
Big-time college football’s season begins on Saturday. Before the other professional league, the NFL, becomes a distraction, consider three propositions. Football is a mistake. Bodies, and especially brains, are not built to withstand its repeated collisions. Culturally, college football scratches the human itch for tribalism, which America’s ethos of individualism fortunately discourages. And big-time football attached to higher education is, suddenly, educational.
WILL COLUMN: The addled college football cartel wants to huddle up with Congress
Big-time college football’s season begins on Saturday. Before the other professional league, the NFL, becomes a distraction, consider three propositions. Football is a mistake. Bodies, and especially brains, are not built to withstand its repeated collisions. Culturally, college football scratches the human itch for tribalism, which America’s ethos of individualism fortunately discourages. And big-time football attached to higher education is, suddenly, educational.
The addled college football cartel wants to huddle up with Congress
The addled college football cartel wants to huddle up with Congress (washingtonpost.com) The addled college football cartel wants to huddle up with Congress By George F. Will 2026082811010300 Big-time college football's season begins on Saturday. Before the other professional league, the NFL, becomes a distraction, consider three propositions. Football is a mistake. Bodies, and especially brains, are not built to withstand its repeated collisions.
Will: Dolly Parton: Gifted in song and storytelling, she got the rainbow
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The doctor who ushered the infant Dolly Rebecca Parton into the world in 1946 was paid with a sack of cornmeal. Such was the transactional nature of health care for some around the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. Already have an account? Log In This article is only available to subscribers
Will: Dolly Parton: Gifted in song and storytelling, she got the rainbow
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The doctor who ushered the infant Dolly Rebecca Parton into the world in 1946 was paid with a sack of cornmeal. Such was the transactional nature of health care for some around the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. Already have an account? Log In This article is only available to subscribers
Dolly Parton: Gifted in song and storytelling, she got the rainbow
The doctor who ushered the infant Dolly Rebecca Parton into the world in 1946 was paid with a sack of cornmeal. Such was the transactional nature of health care for some around the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. Her father and mother had been 17 and 15, respectively, when they married, and could not have imagined that the world would be their daughter’s oyster. But not immediately.
Dolly Parton: Gifted in song and storytelling, she got the rainbow
Dolly Parton: Gifted in song and storytelling, she got the rainbow (washingtonpost.com) Dolly Parton: Gifted in song and storytelling, she got the rainbow By George F. Will 2026082518250200 The doctor who ushered the infant Dolly Rebecca Parton into the world in 1946 was paid with a sack of cornmeal. Such was the transactional nature of health care for some around the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee.
WILL COLUMN: Amid an August of mounting danger, a frivolous, oblivious president
This August features a stunning divergence. The world becomes more dangerous as U.S. governance becomes more frivolous. The president is miffed with South Korea because of, among other insolences, that nation’s insufficient help regarding his (you and South Korea might suppose) redundant second military operation against Iran.
Will: Amid an August of mounting danger, a frivolous, oblivious president
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... This August features a stunning divergence. The world becomes more dangerous as U.S. governance becomes more frivolous. Already have an account? Log In This article is only available to subscribers
Will: Amid an August of mounting danger, a frivolous, oblivious president
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... This August features a stunning divergence. The world becomes more dangerous as U.S. governance becomes more frivolous. Already have an account? Log In This article is only available to subscribers
OPINION: Rethinking the haphazard marijuana social experiment
Unfortunately, the structure of certain atoms makes nuclear weapons possible. Any list of other regrettable aspects of reality should include this: Certain molecules derived from plants interact in addictive ways with the human nervous system. So, Americans must continue rethinking policies regarding marijuana. Justice Louis Brandeis’s dictum that federalism enables each American state to be a “laboratory” of democracy is especially apt today.
Amid an August of mounting danger, a frivolous, oblivious president
Amid an August of mounting danger, a frivolous, oblivious president (washingtonpost.com) Amid an August of mounting danger, a frivolous, oblivious president By George F. Will 2026082111010800 This August features a stunning divergence. The world becomes more dangerous as U.S. governance becomes more frivolous.
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