Michael Kelly RIP

I don't know if there was a better columnist working today. His death is a great loss.

As soon as i read that Kelly had taken over as editor of the Atlantic in 1999 i subscribed. He did not disappoint. Under his editorship the magazine became serious, engaged, and a joy to read. The three-part series on the World Trade Center clean-up was just one example of the lasting work he commissioned. Every issue became a must read-- he packed each one with interesting writers tackling important subjects.

When you read Kelly for any length of time some things became apparent-- he did his own thinking, he recycled no one's talking points, he possessed a strong moral sense, he knew how do to reporting instead of just punditry.