New York Times columnist Frank Bruni topped Alter’s gushing with a tweet that portrayed Buttigieg not as an insanely ambitious politician out of his depth but as a heroic colossus. “For looking beyond yourself, for showing such maturity, for blazing the trail that you did, and for your thoughtfulness, #ThankYouPete,” he wrote.

The Bruni column that followed extemporized on this theme, hailing Buttigieg for mastering the intricacies of the policy debate. “He was a walking tutorial, and a sweetly earnest one at that. I wondered then if he could upsize that trait for a presidential campaign,” Bruni wrote. “Over the past year, I—and the rest of America—got the answer.”

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, retweeted Bruni, and added a laudatory codicil: “Yes! A politician who believes in something larger than himself. We will see more of @PeteButtigieg.” Except running for president at age 37 after doing nothing more substantive than running the nation’s 306th largest city is a sign of self-absorption, not of belief in something larger.

Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty joined the chorus: “[email protected] ran an incredible race. Now he is doing the right thing for the right reason.” The doyenne of the Washington commentariat, Elizabeth Drew, agreed. “Kudos to @PeteButtigieg for recognizing reality, and keeping control over the ego,” she tweeted. “Tip of the hat to all the @PeteButtigieg staffers & volunteers, who busted their asses for the last year because they believed in something. Keep your heads up,” tweeted MSNBC’s Garrett Haake. “He was sensible, open-minded, and wise,” Slate’s Will Saletan proclaimed. Wise? C’mon.

But, you say, Amy Klobuchar quit her campaign this week, too. Where is her parade? For one thing, she was too distant a contender to win any points for bowing out. It would have been like complimenting Eric Swalwell or Steve Bullock for reading the signs and giving up. Because Buttigieg was the first openly gay candidate, his candidacy was “historic,” while hers, unfortunately, was not. Also, he won Iowa. Perhaps more relevant, she didn’t work the press the way Buttigieg did by making himself endlessly available to reporters, something the New Republic’s Walter Shapiro noted as a “lesson for all future candidates.” Like John McCain before him, Buttigieg understood how easily journalists can be tamed with charm, anecdotes and access. If only Klobuchar had studied the McCain handbook as closely.

As if crowding onto a packed subway car, the commentariat jostled to pay homage to Buttigieg’s future. “[email protected] is a major talent, and still a young man with plenty of time to figure out how best to use it,” effused MSNBC’s Howard Fineman. “Of all the 2020 contenders who fell short, Buttigieg will be, I predict, the most memorable; certainly no one has a brighter future,” echoed the Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin. “A big future ahead,” tweeted AEI’s Norman Ornstein.

It was hard to find a discouraging word in the press about the young former mayor. Expanding my search to politicians, I turned to New York mayor, failed presidential candidate and Buttigieg detractor Bill de Blasio who, just 11 days ago, after Bernie Sanders’ Nevada caucuses victory, was dumping bilge and brine on Pete.

“Hey @PeteButtigieg, try to not be so smug when you just got your ass kicked,” de Blasio tweeted. “You know how we form a winning coalition to beat Trump? With a true multi-racial coalition of working Americans: something @BernieSanders has proven he can do + you haven’t. Dude, show some humility.”

But once Buttigieg bailed, de Blasio turned a 180 to swoon in the direction of his former campaign foe. “Congrats @PeteButtigieg for running a great campaign! You made history + took us a step closer to the truly inclusive America we need to build. When you are ready to turn the Governor’s Mansion blue in Indiana, you will have a whole lotta us around the nation ready to help!”

Maybe de Blasio missed his calling. Is it too late for him to switch his registration from politician to journalist?

******

Is Pete Buttigieg the next Harold Stassen? Send your fulsome praise of Buttigieg via email to [email protected]. My email alerts were for Buttigieg before they were against him. My Twitter feed intends to support Tulsi Gabbard’s third-party bid. My RSS feed has been canceled.