Basket of Implausibles

The assertions in Walter Kirn’s “Illiberal Values,” especially his critique of liberals’ sudden confidence in this country’s intelligence agencies, are eminently reasonable [Easy Chair, August]. But my agreement with his conclusions was tempered by my exhaustion at reading yet another misguided portrayal of a purported white liberal pushed into the arms of the “alt-right” by leftist bullies.

Kirn’s depiction of Kitten Holiday seems to me an account of an individual seeking validation. This, and not any evident principles, appears to be her main motivation for political participation. Name-calling alone doesn’t force one to abandon bedrock political values,…