A former deputy attorney general of California, Mr. Blankley came to Washington in 1980 to join the staff of President Ronald Reagan, serving as speechwriter, senior policy analyst and deputy director of planning and evaluation for six of the eight years of the Reagan administration. From 1990 to 1997, he was press secretary and general adviser to Newt Gingrich. He is currently the editor of the editorial page of The Washington Times.

Mr. Blankley is known inside the Beltway and beyond for his commentary, bolstered with fierce academic arguments. He holds an undergraduate degree in political science from UCLA, a law degree from Loyola University and a certificate in international law from the University of London.

Deft at quick takes, predictions and big-picture overviews, Mr. Blankley has always maintained an even-tempered perspective. In the past five years, Mr. Blankley has been both analyst and newsmaker in newspapers and in broadcast media. He is a weekly commentator on "The McLaughlin Group" and a regular contributor to news analysis on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CBS and ABC.

Mr. Blankley has been a weekly columnist for The Washington Times for three years, was an editor at large and columnist for George magazine and a syndicated columnist for the Creators Syndicate.

Born in London and a naturalized American citizen, Mr. Blankley and his family moved to Los Angeles after World War II. Young Tony found work as a child actor in television and films, first encountering Mr. Reagan when both appeared at a 1950s-era USO performance. In years that followed, he volunteered to work on all of Mr. Reagan's campaigns for governor and president.

Mr. Blankley and his wife, Lynda Davis, are parents of three children and live in Great Falls, Va., where they share an 11-acre farm with a congenial menagerie of horses, sheep, rabbits, peacocks, dogs, cats and llamas.

NOTE: Bio is as it appeared in the Forum program from October 6, 2004.