There is something predictable in hearing a political scientist preach the virtue of political science. But in Ira's case there is also something personal, even poignant—for just below the surface of his remarks there runs a stream of self-consciousness about how he made it through the academic battles of the 1980s. Many of us have been harboring our own reflections about what happened, letting go only with occasional irritated book reviews or with diatribes in the faculty lounge. Ira opens up the conversation and sets a welcome, candid tone.