President Obama’s tour through the Midwest in a coal-black Darth Vader-mobile home begs comparison with past presidential excursions. I’m thinking of those made by presidents Harry Truman and Woodrow Wilson. First, the president repeated his Trumanesque mantra about his version … Continue reading
American History & Presidents
No Contest: The Reagan Stimulus vs. the Obama One
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared in USA Today. How ironic that as America debated its debt ceiling all summer and faced a stunning credit downgrade, the nation approached a most timely anniversary: It was August 13, … Continue reading
Obama’s Executive Order and the First Amendment
The Obama administration has drafted a new, little-noticed executive order that would plainly stifle free speech. The “Disclosure of Political Spending by Government Contractors” order is still a draft, but if the administration has its way, the order will be … Continue reading
Two Negotiators: Obama vs. Reagan
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. Presidential scholars write on all sorts of aspects of the American presidency. Among the most interesting have been several important works on so-called presidential character and temperament. And when it comes to … Continue reading
The Secret Memo That Predicted the Soviet Collapse
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at National Review Online. It was 20 years ago this summer that the final disintegration of the Soviet Union rapidly unfolded. In June 1991, Boris Yeltsin was freely elected president of the Russian Republic, with … Continue reading
Americans Without Chests
As Americans prepared to mark the birth of their country with the usual outpouring of celebratory events, pundits on the political right were scratching their heads over President Obama’s most recent comment about America’s free-enterprise system. This time, corporate jet … Continue reading
Obama’s Inalienables
Editor’s note: A longer version of this article appears at today’s American Thinker. Each time President Obama addresses America’s inalienable rights, I get emails. “Did you see Obama left out ‘Creator’ again?” began the latest. The most recent occasion was … Continue reading
Chesterton’s Stars & Stripes
Among those doing excellent work on G. K. Chesterton is Joseph Pearce, the brilliant Brit who is a scholar at Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida. Pearce, like Dale Ahlquist, is unearthing all sorts of gems from Chesterton’s writings. Pearce … Continue reading
Jefferson Versus Hamilton: The Continuing Contest
This Fourth of July marks 235 years since the Declaration of Independence was published. In this immortal document, the Spirit of ’76 was given its fullest, most eloquent expression. The Declaration is a timeless document, espousing eternal principles that, while … Continue reading
May the Farce Be With You: Lessons for 2012 from Lincoln and Louis
Karl Marx famously quipped that great historical events and personages appear twice, first as tragedy and second as farce. The tragedy he had in mind was the French Revolution and the farce was its pale successor that took place in … Continue reading
Remembering D-Day With Ike and Reagan
Written by the executive director of The Center for Vision & Values for the American Spectator. Read the article»
Reagan at Notre Dame: A Call to Transcendence and Duty
Bush, Obama, and Osama: America’s Hour of Choosing
“In Bin Laden Announcement, Echoes of 2007 Obama Speech,” declared the headline in The New York Times. It’s difficult to find a newspaper that has demonstrated a worst pro-Obama and anti-Bush bias than The New York Times, especially when dealing … Continue reading
SPECIAL REPORT: "Exceptional America?"
America’s March of Folly
The budget deficits from the first two years of the Obama administration are of sufficient magnitude to spring Dr. “Billions and Billions” Carl Sagan from his grave. Sagan could sue for copyright infringement for misuse of astronomical numbers. On second … Continue reading
Obama vs. the Bushes: Comparing Costs and Coalitions from Libya to Iraq
The Libya situation is complicated. I envy no president stuck with the task. Among the complexities, the most daunting unknown is what’s behind the opposition. We would all like to see Moammar Gaddafi tossed to the ash-heap of history, but … Continue reading
V&V FLASHBACK — The Supreme Court’s Private Life
Editor’s note: This Friday, April 8, noted scholar and professor of jurisprudence at Princeton University, Dr. Robert P. George, will be speaking at a conference on American exceptionalism hosted by The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College, titled, “America: … Continue reading
V&V FLASHBACK — A Scene on Rhode Island Avenue
Editor’s note: This Friday, April 8, noted scholar and professor of jurisprudence at Princeton University, Dr. Robert P. George, will be speaking at a conference on American exceptionalism hosted by The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College, titled, “America: … Continue reading
Thirty Years Ago: When President Reagan Was Shot
Editor’s note: This article is adapted from a previous version published by the Reagan Centennial edition of Newsmax. On March 30, 1981, Ronald Reagan, president for merely 10 weeks, stepped outside the Washington Hilton. What happened next was an image millions would … Continue reading
Obama Should Channel Reagan on Libya
Written by the executive director of The Center for Vision & Values for USA Today. Read the article»