At 18, Benjamin Domenech, of Round Hill, has landed himself a plum assignment in the world of inside-the-Beltway journalism. He writes a column, "Any Given Sunday," recapping the political talk television programs for the World Wide Web site of the conservative National Review magazine.

If there was a Top 10 list of young Loudoun County people to watch, he'd be on it. And agree with him or not, you would be hard pressed to deny that Domenech is a sharp writer with an obvious command of his national politics beat--especially considering that this is the first year he is eligible to vote.

Domenech--a distant relative of Fairfax County schools Superintendent Daniel A. Domenech--was home-schooled. He is the oldest of four children and the most cerebral, according to his mother, Jeanne Domenech--and she should know because she also teaches the other three at home. Ben showed an early interest in reading and writing, she said, and devoured books by authors as varied as Charles Dickens and Stephen King.