American political commentator
Fred Barnes
Barnes at CPAC, March 2016
Born Frederic Wood Barnes Jr.
(1943-02-01 ) February 1, 1943 (age 81) Education University of Virginia (BA )Occupations
Journalist
Political commentator
Spouse
Barbara Beatty
(
m. 1967)
Children 3
Frederic Wood Barnes Jr. (born February 1, 1943)[ 1] [ 2] is an American political commentator . He was the executive editor of the defunct news publication The Weekly Standard and regularly appears on the Fox News Channel program Special Report with Bret Baier . He was previously co-host of The Beltway Boys with Mort Kondracke , which previously aired on the Fox News Channel. Barnes remains a prolific writer on presidential and many other political topics as well.[ 3]
Early life and education
Barnes was born in West Point, New York .[ 1] He earned a B.A. degree from the University of Virginia in 1965.[ 1]
Career
After spending several years as a journalist with The Charleston News and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina , he became a reporter for the Washington Star . He covered the Supreme Court and the White House for the Star before moving to the Baltimore Sun , where he was the national political correspondent.
From 1985 to 1995, he was senior editor and White House correspondent for The New Republic . He also wrote the "Presswatch" media column for the American Spectator . He was a panelist on the public affairs show The McLaughlin Group from 1985 to 1998, where he was often referred to by the show's host as Freddy "the Beadle " Barnes. Barnes hosted the radio show What's the Story for Radio America .[ 4] He is currently a moderator for the Voice of America show Issues in the News .[ 5]
In 1984, Barnes was chosen to be one of three panelists quizzing then-President Ronald Reagan and challenger Walter Mondale in the first nationally televised debate of the 1984 presidential campaign .
Barnes has made cameo appearances in the Hollywood films Dave , Getting Away with Murder , and Independence Day . He has thrown out the first pitch for a Boston Red Sox baseball game at Fenway Park .
In 2006 Barnes wrote a favorable biography of President George W. Bush titled Rebel in Chief . Reviewing it in The Washington Monthly , Isaac Chotiner called it "fawning and at times unintentionally amusing", revealing its author as a "perfect Bush hack".[ 6] He is a member of the board of the Institute on Religion and Democracy . As a member of The Falls Church , he and his family voted to disaffiliate the congregation from the Episcopal Church in the United States of America .[ 7] He is a member of the board of trustees of The Fund for American Studies, in which he also serves as a senior fellow.
In the days leading up to the 2008 United States election , Barnes was the only political pundit out of 27 catalogued by the Huffington Post (including Karl Rove , Alex Castellanos , Matthew Dowd , Ed Rollins , and George Will ) to predict a John McCain victory for U.S. President (286 to 252 electoral votes).[ 8]
Personal life
Barnes married Barbara Beatty in 1967. The couple has three children.[ 1]
References
External links
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