Effective wartime presidents are generalissimos, commanders-in-chiefs wielding military power to achieve historically monumental strategic ends; visionaries who shape and mold events through bold political and military action. Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt, America’s two greatest wartime Presidents, served the … Continue reading
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s response to a question concerning the lack of proper equipment, “You go to war with the Army you have,” rightly prompted some pointed critiques. While the US Army is the world’s finest ground force, it … Continue reading
Did you ever learn anything profound from a fourth grade play? I did yesterday. I took an hour off of work to go to the humble theatre of Grove City Christian Academy — the little gymnasium of First Baptist Church … Continue reading
The headline in the Akron Beacon Journal made the accompanying article a must-read: “Kerry Plans a Hunting Trip as Part of His Push for Votes of Social Conservatives.” At first, I thought perhaps Dave Barry had written a column on … Continue reading
The influence of President Bush’s faith on his foreign policy has been greatly exaggerated by both friends and foes. Enthusiasts proudly call the president’s foreign policy “faith based.” Detractors angrily assert that the president invaded Iraq and removed Saddam Hussein … Continue reading
Consider the following scenario. Articles of impeachment are voted on in the House of Representatives against the President, who is acquitted in the Senate. This comes after a divisive war, which pitted political elites and their followers throughout the country … Continue reading
Aging boomers nostalgic for those long ago days of anti-war demonstrations and that whiff of tear gas floating across the quad, take heart. On October 14, four Princeton Theological Seminary professors and Assyrian Catholic Church of Iraq peace activist, Sister … Continue reading
Here’s a pesky thought for Kerryites. The chances of the French warming up to their guy if he becomes President are about as great as Jacques Chirac smothering his escargot with Heinz Ketchup. Consider the following scenario. John Kerry’s just … Continue reading
The last time Americans got involved in a major culture war, citizens across the land dusted off their Springfield muskets and joined the nearest regiment. This time every attorney worth his or her shingle is going down a checklist that … Continue reading
“I cannot profess Christ as my Savior and simultaneously support pre-emptive war.”—Jim Winkler, United MethodistChurch, February 26, 2003 I’m still searching for the political fallout—for the outrage. It has been a week since Senator John F. Kerry, before a huge … Continue reading
Introduction Of all the things that rankle the critics of George W. Bush, few anger them more than his willingness to apply the word evil. Like President Ronald Reagan two decades before him, Bush operates from a Christian worldview that … Continue reading
In the early 1960s, impressionist Vaughn Meader developed a great routine about President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert, who served as Attorney General of the United States. It seems the two got involved in a family spat about … Continue reading
This week marks the fifth anniversary of one of the worst weeks in the history of Fort Worth, Texas. What happened that week was a demonstration of evil and good, of a mad killer at work and a kind community … Continue reading
This week marks the fifth anniversary of one of the worst weeks in the history of Fort Worth, Texas. What happened that week was a demonstration of evil and good, of a mad killer at work and a kind community … Continue reading
Fighting itself will stir up hostile feelings: violence committed on superior orders will stir up the desire for revenge and retaliation against the perpetrator rather than against the powers that ordered the action. – Carl von Clausewitz (On War, Book … Continue reading
After drafting an Op-Ed piece entitled “Ronald Reagan and the Face of Conservatism” this week, I resolved to also write a brief piece on the relationship between Christianity and Conservatism. Before heading up to my study to begin, my wife … Continue reading
The passing of Ronald Reagan is a good time to access his relationship to the Conservative movement in America. Without doubt Reagan shaped its ideology and direction more than any other person in the 20th century, affirming and advancing certain … Continue reading
Although Ronald Reagan and John Quincy Adams died in very different ways, the national reaction was very similar. Adams collapsed after casting a vote at the House of Representatives and died two days later on February 23, 1848 at the … Continue reading
Over the last week, I’ve been asked many questions about Ronald Reagan’s faith. A particularly interesting exchange took place this morning. I told a radio talk-show host that Reagan’s faith was fundamental to nearly everything he did in the Cold … Continue reading
After the Vietnam War, when the draft was history, Army Chief of Staff General Creighton Abrams redesigned the all volunteer Army so it would never again be sent to war without the support of the American people. To that end, … Continue reading
