Early in my career in politics, I had the opportunity to run into Andrew Breitbart at a few different events.  Andrew was always courteous and kind in my interactions with him, as brief and fleeting as they were.  I was amazed at his ability to take the fight to the left in a way I had not seen since the early days of Rush Limbaugh.  Andrew was more dynamic than Rush, ready to jump into the fray in any way he was needed.  Unafraid, Andrew consistently put his own credibility on the line to end the duplicitous standards of the left, proudly and defiantly stating his battle cry of “WAR!”

As we remember Andrew today, 10 years after his passing,  I look to my now-colleagues in their tributes to the man, feeling as if I have nothing more to add to the discussion.  I mean, how do you post an opinion piece up against the touching tributes of those like Townhallers Larry O’Connor or Kurt Schlichter, people who were lucky enough to count Andrew as a friend?  Even those who had much closer friendships with Andrew than I, like my good buddy and VIP Gold Show Host, Thomas LaDuke, have perspectives that honor the man in a way that I could never dream of doing.

In the wake of Andrew’s death, so many opined about who was and wasn’t the heir-apparent of Breitbart and the future of the movement he began.  For years, people looked for one to rise in his place, taking Andrew’s mantle and assuming command of this vast conservative army.  Certainly, as I began to dip my toe into the hot tub that is Conservative Media, I looked for that one leader to hitch my wagon to, who might lead me to the promised land of relevancy.

Yet it wasn’t until last year’s CPAC that I began to understand the complexity of Andrew’s legacy.  It was one evening as we sat around the patio table in the warm Florida weather (something we would have never been able to do at National Harbor) that I began to realize the scope of Andrew’s legacy.  To my left sat Larry O’Connor, who has been nothing short of gracious in his willingness to share his talent and resources to help those of us who fight Andrew’s fight every day.  To my right, sat Kurt Schlichter, who sets a near-perfect example of Andrew’s total disregard of liberal judgment when confronted with their garbage and false dichotomous definitions of our message.  Across from me sat my RedState colleagues Jennifer Van Laar and Kira Davis, both of whom have long been students of Andrew’s influence.  In every face around the table, I saw Andrew and his legacy being carried forward.

No one person was heir to Andrew, and this legacy continues to be one of which you and I can be a part.  I may not have been Andrew’s right-hand man like some of the above-mentioned individuals, I certainly have learned a great deal about how I engage with my readers and listeners from them.  Just again this past weekend at CPAC, I again marveled at the wealth of talent I am lucky to call not only mentors and colleagues and friends, almost exclusively because of the legacy of Andrew Breitbart.

Andrew didn’t bequeath all he had to only one of his loyal followers and friends but to us all.  No one person in this lumbering beast that is the conservative movement can claim his legacy, nor am I suggesting that it falls to only those who work for Townhall.  His legacy is seen at Project Veritas and the Daily Wire.  It is seen on Fox News and heard on numerous podcasts throughout the country.  No one person is Andrew because we are all Andrew.

And how lucky we are to be able to say that.

Thank you, Andrew, wherever you are, for being a leader and friend to us all. Our only hope is that we are doing you proud. #WAR