The Adulation Grows

Copy-boy made good Pat McIlheran just keeps on attracting attention for his writing. Capper points to one member of the Paddy Mac Fan Club. I offer up another. What does Bill Berry have to say about the little pundit who almost could? (emphasis added)

Throughout much of the last century, the Milwaukee Journal and Sentinel
newspapers produced some of the finest writers on conservation, the environment
and outdoors anywhere in the world. The list is long and reads like a roll call
from a journalism hall of fame. It includes Russell Lynch (the nation's first
full-time conservation writer at a newspaper), Mel Ellis, Madison's Bill Stokes,
Don Johnson, Whitney Gould, Gordon MacQuarrie and Jay Reed. Sometimes they were the first people to tell Wisconsin residents, the nation and the world about
matters of great importance. They wrote about these topics and helped make
positive change possible for their efforts.
[snip]
But these days we also get flip bar talk on important issues. Maybe
it's viewed as entertainment. It's sure not reasonable commentary. Columnist
Patrick McIlheren offered up a heaping scoop of horse crap the other day in a
column that provided definitions of key terms heading into the election
year.
I'll give the guy marks for being occasionally funny, kind of like the
loudmouth at the end of the bar can be, but only for a little while before
becoming unbearable. Journal Communications is already well-represented in the
right-wing radio blab niche, and now the company has some in print. The nice
thing about print is it doesn't float off into thin air. It's there for
review.
[snip]
...some of that might even be funny if the guy wasn't so off base and
writing for the state's largest newspaper.
The wild swing he takes at sustainability is both stupid and wrong. Wisconsin people of all political stripes in communities all over the state are looking for ways to adopt sustainable practices. That's because many of these practices save money in addition to being good for the environment, ...
{the
rest}

It's got to be tough for Pat. He knows he'll never be Charlie. He suspects he'll never be Belling. But, can you imagine being told that, "You're no Whitney Gould?"

Aim higher Paddy Mac. A man's reach should exceed his grasp.