In loving memory of my very dear 6-foot-7-inch Republican senator friend

In memory of Alan Simpson, who died this morning

Friends,

My old friend Senator Alan Simpson died this morning. He was 93.

Our friendship began at one of those interminable Washington receptions I had grown to hate. They were always stand-up events where I was expected to engage in small talk with dozens if not hundreds of people I didn’t know, moving among groups while trying to balance a drink with a…