WASHINGTON — One would never guess who attended Dick Scaife’s memorial service on the Pennsylvania countryside last week. Scaife has been referred to as the “father of modern conservatism.” In his lifetime, he donated a fortune across a whole range of philanthropic endeavors, from the arts to medical research to politics — conservative politics. His conservative causes were very elevated — sophisticated thinks tanks, professorial chairs, intellectual reviews — but also at times they were very partisan. In the 1990s, Scaife was a leading opponent of Bill Clinton, and he frequently drew blood. When Hillary Clinton spoke of the “vast right-wing conspiracy” she doubtless had him in mind.

Yet, at the memorial service, standing there with the conservative chieftains was a lone Democrat, Bill Clinton, yes, the very same. The 42nd president not only put in an appearance but he actually spoke on Dick Scaife’s behalf, saying “Our political differences, our philosophical differences, our religious differences, our racial and ethnic differences, they’re important. … They help us to define who we are. But they don’t have to keep us at arm’s length from others.” And he concluded, “I think the counterintuitive friendship we formed is a good symbol of Richard Mellon Scaife’s legacy. … He fought as hard as he could for what he believed, but he never thought he had to be blind or deaf” to reviewing his positions.