I was so blessed with the time to learn from Paul Weyrich as we worked together to build the Republican Study Committee and to ensure that conservative thought and action guided the Republican Congress.  Up until my last days in the House, I could count on seeing him each week in my office, lunching around a table of conservative heroes – and, of course, he was always the most revered of the bunch.  Paul was the only man in this town who knew how to revive the Right and he did so through political thought and political organization.  This is a very sad day, indeed, and his passing comes at a time when we need his leadership more than ever.  Conservatives would do well to allow Paul’s life and legacy to not only serve our memory, but to guide our future. 

Following are my remarks from the Weyrich tribute dinner earlier this year…and now that this day has come, I am so happy that we were able to tell him how much he meant to us, personally, and to the conservative movement.  May you rest in peace, my friend.

Paul Weyrich is the man a generation of Washington conservatives wanted to be when they grew up. 

He is one of the few men of his or any generation that combined the twin geniuses for political thought and political organization.  His greatest legacies – the Heritage Foundation and the Free Congress Foundation – have served as headquarters for conservative thinking and conservative action in Washington.  Until conservatives come together again and put these twin pillars of our movement together, we will remain on the outside looking in.  If anyone wants to know how to revive the right, just look at the life and legacy of Paul Weyrich, a man who always puts his ideas to work.

Paul, you have always been a trusted friend and loyal ally.  And now, heading into what everyone says is a liberal revival, I hope you know that none of us will let you retire anytime soon.  We need you, and your vision, now more than ever, old friend.