← Home
Caput
All Stories →
A Recurring Column

The Harvard Idiot

Takes One to Know One
From the Columnist

I went to Harvard. I am, by definition, an idiot. This column exists because it takes one to know one, and lately I have been recognizing a lot of myself out there.

The subjects of this column are the people who run American public life. The columnist will write about Harvard graduates, because he is one and recognizes the technique. He will also, on occasion, write about people who did not go to Harvard, on the working theory that he knows any idiot when he sees one, whether they went to Harvard or not. The working theory is sometimes correct.

Anyone who has read this far is, by my reckoning, suspect. I include myself.

— The Harvard Idiot

The Columns
Second Column · June 2026
How to Lose a War and Win the Nobel Prize
The United States has surrendered to Iran. The President should receive the Nobel Peace Prize for it. Not for the surrender. For the unanimity.
Foreign Affairs · Diplomacy · The Iran Deal
Debut Column · May 2026
How to Rank Three Idiots
One Harvard graduate who pretends she isn’t an idiot. One Cal State graduate being Backwarded by a Harvard idiot operating off-stage. One USC graduate with no Harvard anywhere near him.
Politics · Municipal Affairs · Los Angeles
Forthcoming
The Harvard Idiot will return. Subscribe below to be notified, on letterhead, when he does.
Follow the Columnist
@HarvardIdiot
𝕏 on X IG Instagram
The Bureau of Subscriber Recruitment
Subscribe to Caput in Arena. New issues by email. The Harvard Idiot included.
Subscribe →