Bret Stephens: Hi, Gail. I’m having a flashback to April 2017, just after my arrival at The Times from The Wall Street Journal. It was, uh, a bit of a hard landing. You introduced yourself, told me you co-wrote an online column called “The Conversation,” and asked if I would like to be your next sparring partner/victim.
Eight years and nearly 300 of these published conversations later, we’re bringing this to a finale so that we can each work on our books. Any reflections about this long, fun, wild run we’ve had?
Gail Collins: Have to admit I was surprised it was such a pleasure to do. I love my work, but I was still shocked to find myself thinking “Oh great, tomorrow’s conversation day.”
Bret: And I was amazed at the way it resonated with so many readers. To borrow a phrase from your second-least-favorite president, there’s a silent majority of people who prefer our style of good-humored disagreement to the endless food fight that is today’s politics. Although, I also think we have President Trump to thank for giving us a subject that always gave us something to agree about most of the time.
Gail: Guess the way to start our finale is to just … converse. Ready to roll?
Bret: Well, as a Jew to a Catholic: My condolences about Pope Francis. Also as a Jew to a Catholic? Things tend to work better when you allow your clergy to marry. Just saying.
Gail: Having been raised Catholic back in the day, I spent untold hours of school, all the way through 12th grade, trapped in discussions about the importance of virginity until marriage — even if you didn’t take a husband until you were 40. So much of the nuttiness on the subject has been a reflection of the fact that the Church rules on sexual morality were set by guys who had never been with a woman.