Oh, David Brooks

I'm a big fan of The Conversation, the New York Times online feature in which Gail Collins and David Brooks have a casual chat. I think the appeal is supposed to be that the two are reasonable, amicable and witty columnists who clearly like each other a lot. That's all nice, but what I enjoy is the palpable pleasure the hilarious Collins takes in needling the less intentionally hilarious Brooks. (His act is so tired: Is he an orthodox conservative, a bipartisanship-obsessed beltway cliché or an armchair sociologist who just makes stuff up? Depends what day it is.)

Last week's entry has some good material about policy compromises the two would be willing to make with each other if they comprised Congress. But first you have to get through Brooks's jokes about Occupy Wall Street:

Every time you give up something the left wants I'll try to give up something much bigger that the right wants. Just so long as you understand this whole exercise is in direct violation of the spirit of the Occupy movement. You shouldn't be negotiating with me. You shouldn't even be talking with me.