When Miramax was preparing the audio version of my book (read by the actor Dennis Boutsikaris, who does a Shakespearean job on the Peggy Noonan chapter that is pure Arcadian delight), I got a call requesting helping on the pronunciation of certain names. Alexander Cockburn, for example--last named is pronounced "Coburn," not as if your penis is on fire.
I was asked if Mark Steyn's last name rhymed with "stain" or "whine."
The answer is "whine," and he lives up to his name in his latest Spectator column, where he announces that in the event of a Kerry victory, he may hang up his writing spurs for--get this--a "period of sober reflection."
Perhaps he can join his great benefactor, the disgraced Conrad Black, in a support group for bereaved conservatives. They can sober up together.
