Frederic Wood Barnes Jr. (born February 1, 1943) is an American

political commentator A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport). Origins The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...

. He was the executive editor of the defunct news publication ''

The Weekly Standard ''The Weekly Standard'' was an American neoconservative political magazine of news, analysis and commentary, published 48 times per year. Originally edited by founders Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, the ''Standard'' had been described as a "re ...

'' and regularly appears on the Fox News Channel program ''

Special Report with Bret Baier '' Special Report with Bret Baier'' (formerly ''Special Report with Brit Hume'') is an American television news and political commentary program, hosted by Bret Baier since 2009, that airs on Fox News Channel. It is broadcast live each Monday thr ...

''. He was previously co-host of '' The Beltway Boys'' with

Mort Kondracke Morton Matt Kondracke (; born April 28, 1939) is an American political commentator and journalist. He became well known due to a long stint as a panelist on ''The McLaughlin Group''. Kondracke worked for several major publications, serving for twen ...

, which previously aired on the Fox News Channel. Barnes remains a prolific writer on presidential and many other political topics as well.

Early life and education

Barnes was born in

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

. He earned a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

in 1965.

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 ''The Washington Star'', previously known as the ''Washington Star-News'' and the Washington ''Evening Star'', was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C., between 1852 and 1981. The Sunday edition was known as the ''Sunday Sta ...

''. He covered the Supreme Court and the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

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

correspondent for ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...

''. He also wrote the "Presswatch" media column for the '' American Spectator''. He was a panelist on the public affairs show ''

The McLaughlin Group ''The McLaughlin Group'' was a syndicated half-hour weekly public affairs television program in the United States, during which a group of four pundits, prompted by the host, discusses current political issues in a round table format. John ...

'' from 1985 to 1998, where he was often referred to by the show's host as Freddy "the

Beadle A beadle, sometimes spelled bedel, is an official of a church or synagogue who may usher, keep order, make reports, and assist in religious functions; or a minor official who carries out various civil, educational, or ceremonial duties on the ...

" Barnes. Barnes hosted the radio show ''What's the Story'' for Radio America. He is currently a moderator for the

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

show ''Issues in the News''. In 1984, Barnes was chosen to be one of three panelists quizzing then-

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Ronald Reagan and challenger

Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928 – April 19, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. A U.S. senator from Minnesota ...

in the first nationally televised debate of the 1984 presidential campaign. Barnes has made

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

s in the Hollywood films '' Dave'', '' Getting Away with Murder'', and'' Independence Day''. He has thrown out the first pitch for a

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

baseball game at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Bas ...

. In 2006 Barnes wrote a favorable biography of President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

titled '' Rebel in Chief.'' Reviewing it in ''

The Washington Monthly ''Washington Monthly'' is a bimonthly, nonprofit magazine of United States politics and government that is based in Washington, D.C. The magazine is known for its annual ranking of American colleges and universities, which serves as an alterna ...

'', Isaac Chotiner called it "fawning and at times unintentionally amusing", revealing its author as a "perfect Bush hack". He is a member of the board of the

Institute on Religion and Democracy The Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) is an American Christian conservative think tank that promotes its views among mainline Protestant churches, as well as advocating for its values in the public square. Its critics claim that it has bee ...

. As a member of

The Falls Church The Falls Church is an historic Episcopal church, from which the city of Falls Church, Virginia, near Washington, D. C., takes its name. The parish was established in 1732 and the brick church still in use today dates to 1769. History Coloni ...

, he and his family voted to disaffiliate the congregation from the

Episcopal Church in the United States of America The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop o ...

. 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 The 2008 United States elections were held on November 4. Democratic Senator Barack Obama of Illinois won the presidential election, by defeating his challenger, Senator John McCain and the Democrats bolstered their majority in both Houses of C ...

, 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).

Personal life

Barnes married Barbara Beatty in 1967. The couple has three children.

References

External links

Column archive
at ''

'' * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Fred 1943 births Living people American biographers American columnists American magazine editors American political commentators American political writers The American Spectator people The Baltimore Sun people American male biographers The New Republic people Nieman Fellows Writers from Alexandria, Virginia United States Army soldiers University of Virginia alumni The Washington Star people The Weekly Standard people Journalists from Virginia Voice of America people People from Vero Beach, Florida American Anglican Church in North America members