Paul Kengor
Mon, April 29, 2013
Obama's Planned Parenthood Love Fest
"I love you!" shouted one of the rapturous faithful at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington.
"I love you back," responded the proud recipient, President ...
Mon, April 15, 2013
Progressive Income Tax Turns 100
Editor's note: A version of this article first appeared at Investor's Business Daily.
Maybe it's a measure of progressives' refusal to look back, to always ...
Mon, April 08, 2013
Well Done, Lady Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher, one of the greatest leaders of the Cold War, of the 20th century, and of British history, has died at the age of 87.
I've referred to her as one of my Cold War seven: ...
Wed, March 27, 2013
Clinton Gay Marriage
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Spectator.
Bill and Hillary Clinton have endorsed gay marriage, completely reversing their support of the 1996 ...
Thu, March 21, 2013
Hillary Clinton's Evolution on Gay Marriage
Editor's note: A version of this article first appeared in USA Today.
Hillary Clinton supports gay marriage. This is a major shift. Yet, as someone who wrote a book on Clinton's faith, I ...
Fri, March 08, 2013
Reagan's 'Evil Empire' Speech Turns 30
Editor's note: A version of this article first appeared as an Exclusive Special Report for American Spectator.
Today, Ronald Reagan's Evil Empire speech turns 30 years old. It ...
Wed, March 06, 2013
Hugo Chavez: Faithful to Death
In "Hugo Chavez: Faithful to Death" (728 words), professor of political science and executive director of The Center for Vision Values at Grove City College–Dr. Paul ...
Mon, February 18, 2013
The Presidential Blame Game
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Spectator.
February is the month of presidents. It includes Washington's birthday, Lincoln's birthday, Ronald ...
Thu, February 14, 2013
Dr. Ben Carson's Heresy
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Spectator.
Liberals are apoplectic over remarks by Dr. Ben Carson at the National Prayer Breakfast. ...
Thu, January 31, 2013
On Russia's Adoption Ban
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared at National Catholic Register.
Vladimir Putin has sparked international outcry by banning adoptions of Russian children by ...
Tue, January 22, 2013
End of the Reagan Era?
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Spectator.
With Barack Obama's second inauguration, liberals are touting an altogether new epoch: the end of the ...
Thu, January 03, 2013
Remembering Robert Bork
It has been a couple of weeks since the death of Robert Bork, which occurred shortly before Christmas and didn't really get the news coverage that Bork merited.
Bork died at age 85. In ...
Wed, December 19, 2012
Fiscal Cliff: WWRD?
By Dr. Paul Kengor and Michael Reagan
Editor's note: A version of this article first appeared at FoxNews.com.
As President Obama and Democrats urge Republicans to increase ...
Mon, December 17, 2012
America's Growing Government Class
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Spectator.
The latest unemployment figures are again depressing, but not for the usual reasons. They provide ...
Thu, December 06, 2012
Romney vs,McCaina nd Obama vs. Bush
Editor's note: This article first appeared at American Spectator.
Shortly after the November election, I wrote an article titled, "McCain Beats Romney!" The article focused on initial ...
Wed, November 28, 2012
Media Begins Attack on Marco Rubio
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Spectator.
In a recent interview, Senator Marco Rubio, effectively the ...
Wed, November 21, 2012
Holidays Without Andy Williams
It was shortly before Thanksgiving. I was in the kitchen washing dishes when I heard my first music of the holiday season. Sick of talk radio and sick of election post-mortems, I gave myself a ...
Thu, November 15, 2012
2012 Elections and Power of Incumbency
Mitt Romney lost the presidential race by only two percentage points. If the election had been held just a week earlier, when he was up in the polls, things might have been different. Nonetheless, ...
Fri, November 09, 2012
V&V Flashback: The 40% President
Editor's note: A version of this piece was written for the American Thinker on January 26, 2011.
We're at the halfway mark of Barack Obama's first term as president. I say "first term" ...
Thu, November 08, 2012
America's Fundamental Transformation
Timing is everything in politics. For four years, I angered conservatives by insisting Barack Obama would get reelected. I figured that an electorate willing to elect a man with ideas and a record ...
Mon, October 22, 2012
What About the Homeless?
As a biographer of Ronald Reagan, I'm constantly asked to compare today's fiscal/economic situation to what Reagan faced in the 1980s. Today's record debt/deficits remind of the 1980s, though today's ...
Mon, October 15, 2012
Joe Biden Makes History
Editor's note:A version of this article first appeared at The American Spectator.
Joe Biden's antics against Paul Ryan have taken a few days to sink in, and should take longer still.
Wed, October 10, 2012
President Obama and the Intelligence Brief Scandal
The last few weeks have produced many intriguing political moments, but none as shocking as the revelation that President Obama has been absent from the vast majority of his daily intelligence ...
Mon, October 01, 2012
Imagine If This Were George W. Bush
Imagine this: The president is George W. Bush.
At his re-election celebration at the national convention, his enthusiastic supporters flood the floor with ...
Thu, September 27, 2012
Communism on Parade?
Editor's note: A version of this piece first appeared at FoxNews.com.
"What do you think of this?" So began a phone call from Todd Starnes of FoxNews radio. Starnes asked me for a comment ...
Fri, September 14, 2012
On Libya Three Decades Ago
By Dr. Paul Kengor and Bill Clark
Editor's note: A version of this piece was written for USA Today shortly after
the Libyan revolution in early 2011.
Sun, September 09, 2012
God, Democrats. and the Europeanization of America
The battle at the Democratic convention to exclude God from the party's platform
is no minor moment. Do not underestimate what transpired there.
And while it ...
Thu, September 06, 2012
The Silence of Bill Hillary Clinton
Editor's note: A different version of this article first appeared at National Catholic Register.
Bill Clinton was basking in glory at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday ...
Thu, August 16, 2012
Remembering Gene Kelly
This August 23, 2012 marks the centennial of the birth of Gene Kelly, the great American dancer, actor, singer; a guy's guy who–along with Fred Astaire–is the only male who ever left me ...
Mon, August 06, 2012
Obama's Progress
Try to define [4]progressivism. In fact, [5]ask progressives to try to define
progressivism. All we really know is that they're, well, progressing. They and
their ideas and their politics ...
Thu, August 02, 2012
Gay Marriage: Killing Democracy of the Dead
President Obama's position on gay marriage has won some converts, from (perhaps) the entirety of the Democratic Party to (especially) young people. As to the latter, one of them emailed me recently. ...
Tue, July 03, 2012
V&V Q&A With Sheila Carlberg
V&V Q&A With Sheila Carlberg
"America Is My Home"
By Dr. Paul Kengor
Editor's Note: The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from [4]The Center for Vision &
Mon, July 02, 2012
Obama Fulfills Dreams of Communist Mentor
(This Article first appeared in the American Thinker.)
As readers of this site are aware, thanks especially to Jack Cashill's recent posts, I've been researching ...
Mon, June 11, 2012
The Nation's Top Progressives, Socialists and Communists
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Spectator.
The left-leaning magazine The Nation has published a list of what it deems America's all-time, most ...
Thu, May 31, 2012
Cuba Backing Gay Marriage?
I was recently contacted by Ben Johnson of LifeSiteNews, who told me of a fascinating development. He informed me of a curious fan of President Obama's advocacy of gay marriage: Mariela Castro, niece ...
Fri, May 25, 2012
The Flags at the Cemetery
Like many Americans, Memorial Day never ceases to move me. Rivaled only by Christmas and Easter, it's the most poignant time of the year for me, maybe because, like Christmas and Easter, it's ...
Thu, May 10, 2012
Allen West and His Critics
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Spectator.
Congressman Allen West (R-Fla.) is being heavily criticized for comments alleging that certain ...
Wed, April 18, 2012
Week One of Obama v. Romney
Something wonderful unfolded in American politics the last few days.
Almost immediately after Rick Santorum dropped out of the Republican presidential hunt, David Axelrod and the Obama ...
Fri, April 13, 2012
Ozzie Guillen, Fidel Castro Baseball
"I love Fidel Castro," said Florida Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen to Time magazine. "A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that [expletive] is still here." ...
Thu, April 05, 2012
We're Serious About Constitutionality of Obamacare
America anxiously awaits the Supreme Court's decision on Obamacare. At the core of the decision is a simple question: Is the "individual mandate" in Obamacare constitutional? And thus, is Obamacare ...
Fri, March 30, 2012
Obama, the Russians and Missle Defense
President Obama has caused quite a stir with a private comment made to Russian President Dimitri Medvedev. In discussing missile defense, Obama suggested he would be prepared to yield to Russian ...
Fri, March 16, 2012
Culture War of Class War?
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Spectator.
The question for Republicans right now seems obvious: Would you prefer Rick Santorum or Mitt Romney ...
Mon, February 27, 2012
On Santorum, Democrats and 'God's Will'
In case you didn't notice…. With George W. Bush out of office and a Democrat in the White House, the secular media stopped its handwringing over the president mentioning God. With Rick ...
Wed, February 22, 2012
Satan and Santorum: A Reagan Perspective
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared at The American Spectator.
The secular world today trembles and shudders at the sight of Rick ...
Mon, February 20, 2012
V&V Q&A The HHS Mandate
Editor's note: A version of this Q&A first appeared at National Review online.
V&V Q&A (Presidents Day Special): What Would Reagan Do?
The HHS Mandate ...
Thu, February 16, 2012
What If We Removed Wartime Conscience Exemptions?
Last Friday, President Obama responded to Catholic bishops' concerns over his controversial mandate compelling Catholic institutions to provide contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing ...
Mon, February 13, 2012
Catholic Bishops v. Obama
I've gotten some very interesting emails regarding President Obama's mandate commanding Roman Catholics (and many evangelical Protestants) to violate their consciences by providing mandatory ...
Fri, February 10, 2012
Obama's Health Care Mandate
Editor's note: Dr. Kengor will be a participant in an April 19-20 conference
hosted by The Center for Vision Values on [4]"The Challenge 2012: The Divided
Conservative Mind."
Wed, February 01, 2012
Obama to Catholics: To Hell With You
America's Catholic bishops are princes of diplomacy, highly educated, erudite, men of tact, propriety. They're asked to shepherd the flock with a long historical timeframe–like, say, eternity. ...
Fri, January 13, 2012
Readying Romney for the Class Warfare Machine
Editor's note: A longer version of this article appears at today's American Spectator.
If Mitt Romney gets the GOP nomination, prepare for a season of class warfare in America unlike any ...
Thu, January 05, 2012
A Kim-less Christmas
Editor's note: A version of this article first appeared at American Thinker.
This past Christmas, the people of North Korea were without their messiah. That is, their self-anointed ...
Fri, December 30, 2011
On Hitchens, Havel and Kim
Editor's note: A version of this article first appeared at TheBlaze.com.
They say that famous people die in groups of three.
I recently heard the news of the death of ...
Thu, December 22, 2011
Nativity vs. Occupiers
Editor's note: A version of this article first appeared in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
I recently strolled down Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh and was struck by two images.
...
Mon, December 19, 2011
On Vaclav Havel and Chris Hitchens
Editor's note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator today.
Vaclav Havel is dead. Among other forces and powers, he is among the seven individuals most responsible for ...
Wed, December 07, 2011
More Recollections from Deer Seasons Past
Last week I wrote an article on Deer Season a half century ago, focusing on my grandmother's town in the mountains of Emporium, Pennsylvania. Each year, my grandmother and other households opened ...
Mon, November 28, 2011
Deer Season Half a Century Ago
This week hunters across America storm the woods loaded for deer. For yet another indication of how times have changed, consider this account of Deer Season a half century ago:
My ...
Wed, November 23, 2011
An Occupy Wall Street Thanksgiving
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared at TheBlaze.com.
Last week, a deranged malefactor was arrested at Occupy Wall Street for
Thu, November 10, 2011
When Wall Street Erupted
Editor's note: A shorter version of this article first appeared in today's issue of USA Today.
As the indignation of the Wall Street Occupiers spreads across the nation, it is time to ...
Thu, November 10, 2011
No Regrets: Frank Kravetz' Story
Editor's note: A version of this article first appeared in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
"Just existing became what was important," says 87-year-old Frank Kravetz ...
Sat, October 22, 2011
Death of a Bad Dude
In the 1980s, I was an unrefined adolescent from blue-collar Butler,
Pennsylvania. I knew nothing and cared nothing about politics. I had no idea if
I was a conservative or liberal, ...
Fri, October 14, 2011
Nancy Pelosi the Wall Street Mob
Editor's note: This article first appeared at CatholicVote.org.
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has a lengthy track record of jaw-dropping political statements. Among them, the ...
Fri, October 07, 2011
On Steve Jobs, Roseanne Barr The Wall Street Mob
Editor's note: This article first appeared at American Thinker.
I got a double shock Thursday morning when I turned on my radio.
Fri, September 30, 2011
The Democrats' Deadly Sin
Envy is sadness or discontent at another's good fortune or excellence. Dante defined it as a perversion of one's own good; a "wish to deprive" others of their own good. Augustine ...
Fri, September 30, 2011
God's Call? Christie and the Presidency
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is being urged to seek the Republican presidential nomination. There is a genuine groundswell for Christie.
Asked this week at the Reagan Library ...
Fri, September 16, 2011
The Deficit, The Rich The Tea Party
I've only recently come to realize the nature of the hurdle this country faces in trying to turn around a stalled economy and horrendous deficit. Here it is: liberal Democrat ...
Thu, August 25, 2011
China Dupes
Vice President Joe Biden made the news again this week. Three weeks ago, Biden was in the news because of reports he had denounced Tea Party members as "terrorists," a claimBiden was in the ...
Wed, August 24, 2011
It's the Spending, Stupid
We have failed to heed the lessons of economic history, with terrible consequences for our economy and country. And the most crucial of those lessons, particularly since the start of LBJ's Great ...
Mon, August 15, 2011
Reagan Stimulus vs. Obama Stimulus
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 ...
Mon, August 01, 2011
Two Negotiators: Obama v. 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 ...
Tue, July 26, 2011
Secret Memo That Predicted 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 ...
Wed, July 20, 2011
Could You Survive Another Great Depression?
I just read two very interesting articles on the U.S. economy, written from historical perspectives. They compelled me to share my own historical perspective. And what I want to say is more about our ...
Tue, July 05, 2011
Obama's 'Inalienables'
Eitor'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 ...
Fri, July 01, 2011
Self-Government Demands Virtuous Populace
I encourage you to set aside the burgers and dogs and soda and beer for a moment this Fourth of July and contemplate something decidedly different, maybe even as you gaze upward at the flash of ...
Fri, July 01, 2011
Chesterton's Stars Stripes
"Lamenting that 'the English have often forgotten the cross on their flag,' Chesterton hoped that 'the crossless flag' of the United States 'may yet become a symbol of something; by whose ...
Mon, June 27, 2011
Planned Parenthood Funding
Editor's note: A version of this article first appeared at CatholicVote.org.
With a critical vote in its state Senate, North Carolina has voted to de-fund Planned Parenthood. Republicans ...
Mon, May 16, 2011
Sins of the Father
Editor's note: This article first appeared in the National Catholic Register.
As someone with the highly unusual task of researching old, declassified Soviet and Communist Party USA ...
Mon, May 02, 2011
Bush, Obama and Osama
"In Bin Laden Announcement, Echoes of 2007 Obama Speech," [2]declared the
headline in The New York Times. It's difficult to find a newspaper that has
demonstrated a worst ...
Wed, April 20, 2011
Sterilizing Those Pesky Humans
Every April 22 is Earth Day. As one who studies Soviet Russia, I can't help notice that the day coincides with the birthday of Vladimir Lenin. The inaugural Earth Day occurred April 22, 1970, no less ...
Fri, April 15, 2011
On Margaret Sanger, the Soviets and Democrats
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared in American Spectator.
"[W]e could well take example from Russia," advised Planned Parenthood founder Margaret ...
Wed, April 06, 2011
Obama vs. the Bushes
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 ...
Wed, March 30, 2011
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 ...
Thu, March 24, 2011
VV Q &A With Herb Meyer
Editor's note: The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from The Center for Vision Values at Grove City College. In this latest edition, professor of political science and executive director of the ...
Mon, March 21, 2011
The Ted Kennedy Chronicles
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Thinker.
Another round of declassified FBI files on Senator Ted Kennedy has been released (click here and ...
Sun, March 13, 2011
The TEA Party vs. NPR
"The current Republican Party, particularly the Tea Party, is fanatically
involved in people's personal lives and very fundamental Christian," said
NPR's Ron Schiller to two ...
Tue, March 08, 2011
When Winston Warned America
It was 65 years ago, March 5, 1946, when Winston Churchill delivered his "Iron Curtain" speech in Fulton, Missouri. It was a speech that rocked the world and changed history.
By then, ...
Fri, February 25, 2011
Purpose of Government: Wealth Distribution?
A teachable moment on the purpose of government recently occurred on MSNBC's "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell," who has picked up the torch for the departed Keith Olbermann. It was ...
Mon, February 07, 2011
Ronald Reagan: The Anti-Nixon/Kissinger
This February marks the birth centennial of Ronald Reagan. As a Reagan biographer, I'm often asked how Reagan was different from his predecessors, Republican and Democrat, and especially in ...
Fri, February 04, 2011
The Truth About Ronald Reagan's Mind and Memory
Editor's note: This article first appeared at FOXNews.com earlier today.
Ron Reagan, son of the late president, continues to get attention because of speculation in his new book ...
Fri, February 04, 2011
Michael Reagan on Lincoln RadioJournal
Dr. Paul Kengor of the Center for Vision Values at Grove City Colllege interviews Michael Reagan, son of President Ronald Reagan on this week's edition of Lincoln Radio Journal.
Tue, January 25, 2011
Remembering Roe: A Forgotten Warning from Ronald Reagan
Given the somber anniversary of Roe v. Wade–source of 40 million abortions since 1973–I thought I'd share an excellent but forgotten speech by President Ronald Reagan. The speechwriter ...
Wed, January 19, 2011
Reagan and Alzheimers
Editor's note: This article first appeared at FOXNews.com earlier today.
This February 6, 2011 marks the centennial of Ronald Reagan's birth. Reagan died June 5, ...
Tue, January 18, 2011
Changing the Mood: Two Inaugurals
This January 20 marks the anniversary of two unforgettable inaugural addresses from two beloved presidents, Democrat and Republican: John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. For Kennedy's speech, ...
Fri, January 14, 2011
Reagan Centennial: Ronnie and Joe
Editor's note: A version of this article first appeared at National Review Online on February 6, 2010.
February 6, 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth. In a telling ...
Fri, January 07, 2011
Death of the Pro-Life Democrat?
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared in American Spectator.
With the swearing in of the 112th Congress, an already endangered species is nearing extinction in ...
Thu, January 06, 2011
V V Q A : "Showdown" with Dr. Jamie Glazov
Editor's Note: The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from The Center for Vision Values at Grove City College. Each issue will present an interview with an intriguing thinker or opinion-maker that we hope ...
Tue, January 04, 2011
Historical Outrage of 2010
Editor's note: Another version of this article first appeared in the Washington Times.
Of course, it's customary at year's end to share our favorite news items from the year past. As ...
Thu, December 30, 2010
The Wilson You Never Knew
Editor's Note: A version of this article first appeared in USA Today.
On the heels of a recent Sunday magazine profile of Glenn Beck, The New York Times published a roundtable discussion ...
Thu, December 23, 2010
Christmas with Clarence (Darrow)
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared in the American Spectator.
No, that's not "Clarence the Angel" of It's a Wonderful Life fame. The Clarence ...
Mon, December 20, 2010
Christmas at Katyn
The people of Poland got an early Christmas present this year. It's bittersweet but long awaited, and indeed a gift of sorts–and from an unlikely source: Russia. In Moscow, the State Duma, ...
Wed, December 15, 2010
The ACLU's Not-So-Holy Trinity
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared in American Spectator.
The ACLU seems unusually active right now. Maybe it's the Christmas season, which seems to make the ...
Tue, December 07, 2010
Barack 'Clinton' Obama?
"Obama Announces 'Framework' for Deal With Congress to Extend Bush-Era Tax Cuts." That was the lead headline at this morning's FoxNews website. It's an eye-grabber, for sure.
Mon, November 29, 2010
Duped on North Korea
North Korea is not an easy issue. I've dealt with it since the early 1990s, beginning at the Center for Strategic International Studies. I had few answers then, and I still have few today.
Wed, November 24, 2010
Decision Point: George Bush's Pro-Life Path
George W. Bush is an interesting man with a complicated presidency that most Americans–going into Bush's final year of office–deemed a failure. At one point, Bush had the worst ...
Mon, November 15, 2010
V&V Q&A: Dupes and the Religious Left (PArt 5)
A Weekly Series of Interviews with Dr. Paul Kengor
Editor's Note: The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from The Center for Vision Values at Grove City College. This is the final ...
Wed, November 03, 2010
The Great Corrective
On November 4, 2008, something incredible happened, something that will never again allow me to predict or trust the American electorate, regardless of the great corrective that happened this ...
Mon, November 01, 2010
V&V Q&A On Dupes and the Religious Left (Part 4)
Editor's Note:The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from The Center for Vision Values at Grove City College. This is the fourth of five installments in a series of weekly interviews of the Center, ...
Tue, October 26, 2010
'Dupes' and the Religious Left (Part 3)
V&V Q&A:
On "Dupes" and the Religious Left (Part 3)
A Weekly Series of Interviews with Dr. Paul Kengor
Editor's Note: The ...
Mon, October 18, 2010
V V Q A ; Dupes and the Religious Left, Part II
Editor's Note:The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from The Center for Vision Values at Grove City College. This is the second in a series of weekly interviews with Dr. Paul Kengor, professor of ...
Mon, October 11, 2010
'Dupes' and the Religious Left
Editor's Note: The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from The Center for Vision Values at Grove City College. This is the first in a series of weekly interviews with Dr. Paul Kengor, professor ...
Wed, October 06, 2010
Jimmy Carter's Kennedy Problem
I recently wrote about President Carter's "superiority" complex, where I objected to the former president's rather conceited claim of "superior" ex-presidential service, as ...
Wed, September 22, 2010
President Carter's 'Superiority' Complex
Former president Jimmy Carter told NBC News on Monday that his work at home and abroad has been "superior" to other presidents. "I feel that my role as a former president is ...
Wed, September 15, 2010
A Dose of Capitalism and Freedom
It has been almost 50 years since Milton Friedman, Nobel economist, released his classic, Capitalism and Freedom. The book has slowly slipped from my course syllabus, not to mention that of the ...
Tue, September 07, 2010
When Ford Snubbed Solzehenitsyn
Editor's note: A lengthier version of this article first appeared in The American Spectator.
It was 35 years ago this summer that the conservative movement found ...
Wed, September 01, 2010
President Obama's Faith Protectors
I got the email in late afternoon. "In a major liberal initiative to curtail discussion of President Obama's religious identity," the email began, "over 70 Christian leaders and ...
Tue, August 24, 2010
Obama Invites Confusion About His Faith
Editor's note: This article first appeared in USA Today.
The recent poll by the Pew Forum on Religion Public Life is generating much discussion over its provocative finding that an ...
Tue, August 17, 2010
President Obama Cites Bush and Christ - Sort Of
The blogosphere is burning red, consumed with fury over President Obama's
announcement–made at the end of the news cycle, with talk-radio on weekend
break–that he supports the ...
Fri, August 06, 2010
When They Dropped the Bomb
This week marks 65 years since the United States dropped the atomic bomb. On August 6, 1945, President Harry Truman delivered a "rain of ruin" upon Hiroshima, Japan, with Nagasaki hit three ...
Tue, July 27, 2010
Newsflash: Stalin Liberates Normandy
Call it another Twilight Zone moment; another ignominious contribution to the
"you-can't-make-this-up" category. First, Mao Tse-tung was honored by oblivious
New Yorkers, with ...
Wed, July 21, 2010
'Economic Justice' as 'Social Justice'
Editor's Note: A longer version of this article first appeared in American Thinker.
Historically, social justice has meant different things to different people, ...
Wed, July 14, 2010
The Blood of the TEA Party
I've never participated in a Tea Party rally. My natural habitat is a classroom or behind a keyboard. That said, I've had a lot of contact with Tea Party people, and, of course, I hear the angry ...
Tue, June 29, 2010
Whatever Happened to 'General Betray Us?'
I was in Washington last week, meaning I was able to observe, on-site and up close, the reaction to President Obama's remarkable switch in leadership in Afghanistan from the bizarre General Stanley ...
Sat, June 19, 2010
Yea, Though I Walk Through the Valley . . .
Editor's Note: This article was first published by The Center for Vision Values on June 18, 2009.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no ...
Fri, June 11, 2010
Helen Thomas Angers Media - Finally
This week veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas announced her sudden "retirement." The source was an insight shared by Thomas outside the White House during a Jewish-American Heritage Month ...
Fri, May 28, 2010
The Forgotten Battle of WWII: The Aleutian Campaign
Editor's Note: This article was first published by The Center for Vision Values on November 6, 2009.
Every Memorial Day presents an opportunity to commemorate ...
Tue, May 25, 2010
Don't Ignore PA-3
"Today Is the Beginning," beamed the subject head in my email box the morning after last Tuesday's election. It was a rally cry from the office of Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA), a freshman ...
Fri, May 21, 2010
Social Justice, the Needy, and the Wealthy
Recently, The Center for Vision Values at Grove City College has tackled the issue of "social justice," with articles by Gary Smith, J. D. Wyneken, Mark Hendrickson, and Shawn Ritenour. I strongly ...
Fri, May 14, 2010
Commemorating Mao, but Not Mother
Where's Anita Dunn when you need her?
Recall Anita Dunn, who resigned as President Obama's communications director not long after Glenn Beck had the temerity to ...
Tue, May 11, 2010
Pro-Life, Pro-Death: Revisited
In November 2008, just after the historic election of Barack Obama, I wrote a piece titled, "Pro-Life Death?" I noted that America's choice of Obama as president and, equally important, of ...
Mon, May 10, 2010
Death's Progress
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared in American Thinker.
Progressivism is all-the-rage nowadays, with liberals having jettisoned the ...
Fri, April 30, 2010
A Manifesto on the Manifesto
I knew the time would come. America's public schools and ideologically monolithic universities have spawned a generation woefully uninformed in the most elementary facts about free markets, ...
Thu, April 22, 2010
Poland: Remembering Two Tragedies
As Americans get on with the daily business of their comfortable lives, enjoying the blossoming of spring, thinking about their summer vacations, somewhere else, half way across the world, a ...
Wed, April 21, 2010
Speaking Truth to History: A Perfect Game
I'm not one to bother with the latest alleged blockbuster buzzing from the salons of Hollywood high culture. Over the course of two valuable hours, I can only take so many car chases, explosions, and ...
Wed, April 14, 2010
Poland: Remembering Two Tragedies
"The crash of a Polish airplane in the Russian territory of Smolensk last weekend is a stunning tragedy, taking the life of Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife, and high-level figures in the ...
Thu, April 08, 2010
Buchenwald and the Totalitarian Century
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared at The American Spectator.
This spring 2010 marks some sordid anniversaries: 65 years since the discovery of the Nazi ...
Tue, March 23, 2010
God Gets His Health Care Bill
Editor's note: This is one of many coming articles from The Center for Vision Values dealing with the topic of our April 15-16 conference on "The Progressives." Click here for information.
Wed, March 10, 2010
Gorbachev vs. The Evil Empire
The media jumps at anniversaries of historical figures and events. For those of us who write about history, we, too, seize these opportunities to teach history, especially history Americans should ...
Mon, March 08, 2010
In Memoriam:
The Beichman Library Closes
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared in The American Spectator.
Some 2,000 years ago, the great Ancient Library in Alexandria, Egypt ...
Fri, February 26, 2010
Hillary Clinton and the Mother Teresa Home for Infant Children
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared in The Weekly Standard.
A few years ago, I wrote a book on the faith of Hillary Clinton. Released in ...
Tue, February 23, 2010
In Memoriam: Al Haig's Charge
Editor's note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator, February 22, 2010.
Alexander Haig passed away over the weekend at the age of 85. A military ...
Tue, February 16, 2010
V&V Q&A: Outrageous Public Debt
Editor's Note: The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from The Center for Vision Values at Grove City College. In this latest Q&A, Dr. Paul Kengor, executive director of the Center, interviews Dr. Guido ...
Tue, February 09, 2010
Reagan Joe
Editor's note: This article first appeared at National Review, February 6, 2010.
This February 6 marks the 99th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth. In a telling development, Republicans around ...
Mon, February 08, 2010
God and Man at the National Prayer Breakfast
President Obama spoke last week at the National Prayer Breakfast. I've long studied the sitting president's remarks at these breakfasts, particularly President George W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, ...
Tue, February 02, 2010
Taxpayers Fund Abortions, Not School Vouchers
In my last article, a somber remembrance of Roe v. Wade, I called attention to something that shocked readers: I noted that the Obama administration and Democratic Congress "rejected funding for ...
Wed, January 27, 2010
Mixed Up World: Abortion, Yes; School Choice, No
Recently, on January 22 to be exact, over 300,000 pro-lifers marched in Washington to somberly mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, source of the legalized abortion of over 40 million unborn human ...
Thu, January 21, 2010
Remembering Roe: A Forgotten Warning from Ronald Reagan
Given the somber anniversary of Roe v. Wade–source of 40 million abortions since 1973–I thought I'd share an excellent but forgotten speech by President Ronald Reagan. The speechwriter ...
Tue, January 12, 2010
Hanging Mao on the Tree?
With Christmas over, it may seem late to comment on something that happened over the holiday. Quite the contrary, what happened at the Obama White House this Christmas reaches far beyond the festive ...
Thu, December 24, 2009
A Candle for Iran?
Editor's note: A version of this article first appeared at American Thinker.
Twice in this space last summer, I wrote about Iran -- specifically, the dramatic June protests against the ...
Mon, December 14, 2009
O' Unity Tree, O' Unity Tree
'Tis the season…. That is, to not refer to the Christmas Season as the "Christmas Season."
Of course, that's old news. But what's new news, or recent news, is the ...
Wed, December 09, 2009
V V Q A With Dinesh D'Souza on Life After Death: The Evidence
Dr. Paul Kengor: Dinesh, your last book was "What's So Great About Christianity," which did quite well, and which we profiled in a series of Q&As last year (Part I). It led to, among other things, an ...
Fri, December 04, 2009
The Berlin Wall and Me: Reflections on the Fall
Reflections by Thomas O'Boyle
Editor's note: As part of its Freedom Readers lecture series, Center for Vision Values' Executive Director and Ronald Reagan biographer, Dr.
Paul Kengor, interviewed Thomas F. O'Boyle on the ...
Mon, November 23, 2009
Obama and Reagan Go to China
Obama actually gave a pretty good speech, one directed at Chinese college
students. I was pleasantly surprised to hear him refer to basic American values of liberty and free enterprise. Obama ...
Thu, November 19, 2009
Mr. Obama, Go To That Wall!
In my previous commentary for American Radio Journal, I commended the
profound historical event that was fall of the Berlin Wall, the 20th
anniversary of which took place on November 9. The ...
Wed, November 18, 2009
Who Was Nels Konnerup?
America honors its deceased presidents, its fallen troops, its late senators, and even its musicians and movie stars. But what about its veterinarians?
Well, theres one veterinarian who ...
Thu, November 12, 2009
Vision Values Q A
V&V Q&A:
George Schroeder, M.D.:
Witness to the Wall and to Socialized Medicine
Editor's Note: The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from The ...
Mon, November 09, 2009
The Forgotten Battle of World War II
Every Veterans Day presents an opportunity to commemorate those who served in some faraway place long ago, many of whom paid that ultimate sacrifice. World War II offers its share of remembrances: ...
Fri, November 06, 2009
Berlin Wall Fell 20 Years Ago
The credit for that collapse goes to multiple players: Lech Walesa and his Solidarity movement in Poland, Vaclav Havel and his Charter 77 movement in Czechoslovakia, dissidents like Alexander ...
Fri, October 23, 2009
The Philosophy of Mao and Mother Teresa?
"[T]he death of ten to twenty million people is nothing to be afraid of."
–Mao Tse-tung
"Human rights are not a privilege conferred by ...
Wed, October 21, 2009
Vision Value Q A with Dr. Charles Hull Wolfe
Editor's Note: The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from The Center for Vision Values at Grove City College. Each issue will present an interview with an intriguing thinker or opinion-maker ...
Fri, October 09, 2009
The Nobel Committee Dishonors Itself
Even CNN was shocked. Even the Obama White House was shocked.
"Only nine months into his presidency," reported a baffled CNN news anchor this morning. "President ...
Mon, October 05, 2009
A Teachable Moment on Communist China
When I first heard it, I didn't believe it. Alas, it's true.
Last week, New York City's Empire State Building was aglow in red and yellow. Why? To commemorate the ...
Tue, September 29, 2009
Got Hope? The Theological Virtue of Obama
As someone who teaches and writes about international politics, I can confidently say that last week was one of the strangest in memory, from the G-20 circus in my backyard (Pittsburgh) to the ...
Wed, September 23, 2009
Vision Values Q A With Dr. John J. Fry
Editor's Note: The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from The Center for Vision Values at Grove City College. Each issue will present an interview with an intriguing thinker or opinion-maker that we hope ...
Mon, September 14, 2009
America Remains a Conservative Country
The huge "9/12" protest in Washington was the latest expression of discontent over President Obama's leftward policy thrust. The discord is evident from the "Tea Party" movement ...
Fri, September 04, 2009
On Kennedy, Andropov, and KAL 007
Over the last week-and-a-half I've gotten an overwhelming number of inquiries relating to the death of Senator Ted Kennedy. Why me? Because of my report back in 2006 of Kennedy's confidential offer ...
Fri, August 28, 2009
Round Two on Bush and AIDS
Last week I wrote about former President George W. Bush's unprecedented work on behalf of the African AIDS epidemic. That $15 billion package, first proposed in January 2003, was entirely Bush's ...
Thu, August 20, 2009
Bush Quietly Saved a Million Lives
Editor's note: This article first appeared at NCRegister.com.
What if a president, on his own initiative, under no demands from staff or from supporters or ...
Wed, August 12, 2009
Saving Obama from Himself
The Machiavellian thing vs. the moral thing on health care
The late Republican political strategist, Lee Atwater, a brilliant Machiavellian, used to invoke what he called "The Napoleonic Maxim:" Never interfere with the enemy when he's in the process of ...
Wed, July 22, 2009
Iranian Aftermath: Can Obama Close the Deal?
Editor's note: A longer version of this article first appeared in American Thinker.
On December 7, 1978, President Jimmy Carter was asked if he thought the Shah of ...
Mon, July 13, 2009
Gore Unhinged
"How can ANYONE take this man seriously?" writes Marilyn, a frequent reader of our Center for Vision Values articles.
Attached to Marilyn's email was this headline, ...
Thu, July 02, 2009
Prudence at the American Founding - And Today
Will you be celebrating prudence this July 4th? Maybe you should. Or, at the least, it's worth pausing to think about.
Prudence is a timeless virtue never more ...
Tue, June 23, 2009
Bush Unplugged and Unappreciated
Editor's Note: Attention readers, please check out Paul Kengor's weekend exclusive from American Thinker, "'Freedom Fighters' and the American President."
Last ...
Thu, June 18, 2009
With Father, Through the Valley of Death
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me." (Psalm 23:4)
My family and I drove aside the ...
Mon, June 15, 2009
Talking Jesus: Obama vs. Bush
There's an important article in the Politico, titled, "Obama invokes Jesus more than Bush." President Barack Obama, says the article, has mentioned Jesus Christ "in a number of high-profile public ...
Mon, June 08, 2009
What I Saw at the Rotunda
Carrying the torch for America, the beautiful
I was at the Rotunda at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, June 3, for the dedication of the statue to President Ronald Reagan. I was there because Bill Clark was there. Judge Clark, as readers of my ...
Thu, May 14, 2009
Obama, Notre Dame, and the Character Thing
In May 1995, his first year as Pennsylvania governor, Tom Ridge was invited by Gannon University, a Catholic college in Erie, Pa., to give the commencement address and receive an honorary degree. But ...
Tue, May 05, 2009
When Biden and Rudman Wept
Is he pro-life or pro-choice? That was the giant unknown hanging in the balance one day in 1990 as President George H. W. Bush nominated a mystery man named David Souter for a Supreme Court seat. ...
Thu, April 30, 2009
Joan Clark, a 20th Century Life
Joan Clark, a 20th Century Life
By Dr. Paul Kengor
Every American, obviously, has heard of Ronald Reagan, and Reagan historians have heard of Bill Clark. Clark ...
Wed, April 22, 2009
Tom Dillon vs. the Relativists
Last week, as we at Grove City College held a conference on "Faith, Freedom, and Higher Education," in which we underscored the struggle against rampant secular relativism in our universities, ...
Tue, April 14, 2009
V&V Q&A
With Dr. Jason R. Edwards
Editor's Note: The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from The Center for Vision Values at Grove City College. Each issue will present an interview with an intriguing thinker or opinion-maker that we hope ...
Tue, April 14, 2009
Why Not Manage Universities, Mr. President?
I hear it repeatedly, even from pro-business conservatives:
Hey, I have no sympathy for AIG and the automakers and banks. When you take government money, you can ...
Wed, April 08, 2009
Economic Stimulus 101: Reaganomics vs. Obamanomics
President Obama says the economy is the worst since the Great Depression. Actually, it is the worst since the Reagan recession of 1982-83. Further, the 2009 market crash is not the worst since 1929 ...
Thu, April 02, 2009
God and Man at Notre Dame
This May, Notre Dame University will host President Barack Obama to inspire its graduates as they are sent into the world. Obama will be awarded an honorary degree. For the record, this will be a ...
Mon, March 23, 2009
Communicating Obama's Fiscal Disaster
Newsflash, March 20, 2009: The Congressional Budget Office today forecast a U.S. budget deficit of $1.8 trillion for this year.
For many Americans, including some ...
Mon, March 23, 2009
V V Q A with Dr. Jeffrey M. Herbener
On Booms, Busts, and America
Editor's Note: The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from The Center for Vision Values at Grove City College. Each issue will present an interview with an intriguing thinker or opinion-maker that we hope ...
Wed, March 11, 2009
Crisis, What Crisis?
"Dear Iranians, your children have put the first indigenous satellite into orbit…. [T]he Islamic Republic of Iran has officially achieved a presence in space."
–Iranian leader ...
Thu, March 05, 2009
Where Have You Gone, Bill Casey?
"We win and they lose."
–Ronald Reagan, January 1977
As an unprecedented, colossal "stimulus" package was passed by the new president ...
Mon, February 23, 2009
Hugs and Kisses from Iran
Arguably, the world's leading apostle of hate is Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad–few do the task better, especially toward Jews. On Dec. 12, 2006, at a two-day gathering of Holocaust ...
Fri, February 20, 2009
V&V Q&A: On Fed Distortions and Bailouts
Editor's Note: The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from The Center for Vision Values at Grove City College. Each issue will present an interview with an intriguing thinker or opinion-maker that we hope ...
Fri, February 13, 2009
An Obama-Reagan Presidency?
What's the state of the republic–and its citizens–this Presidents' Day 2009? It is a state of deep confusion. Here are some polls to ponder, as America considers presidents past and new. ...
Wed, February 04, 2009
Freedom Works:
Speaker Pelosi's teachable moment
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) recently provided a stark illustration of the fundamentally divergent worldviews of big-government liberalism and free-market conservatism. She told ABC's ...
Fri, January 30, 2009
V V Q A: Dr. Jeffrey Hebener
On Economic Depressions–Then and Now?
Editor's Note: The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from The Center for Vision Values at Grove City College. Each ...
Wed, January 28, 2009
Viva La Revolucion
Viva La Revolucion
By Dr. Paul Kengor
Editor's note: An earlier version of this article first appeared in American Thinker.
Thu, January 22, 2009
A Tale of Two Inaugrals
Watching the inauguration of President Barack Obama, I was impressed by the graciousness and civility by the two presidents at the platform during the transition. To tepid applause, Obama began his ...
Wed, January 21, 2009
Media Lied, Kids Died?
I first heard it in an email from a professor in Illinois. We were arguing about something I wrote on Barack Obama. I asked if he agreed that the media had been breathlessly, transparently biased in ...
Fri, January 16, 2009
Not the Great Communicator:
On Bush, Berlin, and Moses
As the country considers the inauguration of Barack Obama, I'm mindful of another inauguration that seems a long time ago, and which speaks volumes to the presidential transition we are about to ...
Wed, December 31, 2008
Safe, Legal and Rare?
The common mantra of pro-choice politicians is that they do not favor abortion. Quite the contrary, they want abortion to be "safe, legal, and rare." Pro-choicers generally hold to this ...
Tue, December 16, 2008
Obama's Abortion Socialism
Conservatives rightly fear that President Obama will produce the Democrat Party's third great expansion of the welfare state, extending Leviathan beyond FDR's and LBJ's most fertile imaginations. ...
Mon, December 15, 2008
Remembering an Unknown Hero
Morris Childs, America's Greatest Cold War Spy
If you're looking for a book as a Christmas gift, I suggest an oldie but goodie, and in honor of the fact that it was 20 years ago that this nation quietly honored the subject of the book: a hero, a ...
Thu, December 11, 2008
Five Years Ago:
The Beginning of the End for Saddam
Five years ago this week, something remarkable happened, which has been conveniently forgotten: On December 13, 2003, one of history's worst dictators, Saddam Hussein, was captured by U.S. ...
Fri, December 05, 2008
Shades of Reagan: Sarah and the Leakers
The trashing of Sarah Palin continues. Some of the shots have been downright ugly, such as the "Retarded Republican Babies for Sarah Palin" t-shirts. Equally notable, however, is the odd ...
Wed, November 19, 2008
Barack and the Bishops
A potential big battle has begun, one of special interest to all Christians and guaranteed to generate a lot of attention from all Americans.
The United States ...
Tue, November 11, 2008
I'm Pagan and I Vote
Old Town Alexandria, Northern Virginia–Jogging through this gorgeous, historic town the first Saturday after the Tuesday vote, which elected the most leftist presidential candidate in American ...
Thu, November 06, 2008
Pro-life Death?
The victory for Barack Obama and the Democratic Party on Tuesday is the death of the pro-life movement as we know it. The pro-life movement has sought to reverse abortion through legislative action ...
Mon, October 27, 2008
Can Obama Win the Values Voter?
Editor's note: This is part two of a two-part series on Barack Obama and Christian voters.
In 2000 and 2004, it was the churchgoing moral-religious "values voters" ...
Fri, October 24, 2008
God Barack Obama
Editor's Note: This is part one of a two-part series on Barack Obama, his faith, and Christian voters.
Let me begin with what I hope is a credibility enhancer: For ...
Fri, October 17, 2008
Red Herring: The Great Depreession and the American Communist Party
(Editor's Note: "It goes without saying that the Great Depression was the worst economic crisis in American history, and no doubt one of the worst crises ever to face the nation–wars included. ...
Wed, October 15, 2008
Joe Biden's Church Troubles
Certain elements in the news media are attacking Sarah Palin's religious beliefs. This has included several bizarre articles, in mainstream publications, highly critical of her local church. One ...
Wed, October 15, 2008
Vision Values Q A with Dr. Steve Jones
Palin, Pentecostals, and Evangelicals
Editor's Note: The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from the Center for Vision Values at Grove City College. Each issue will present an interview with an intriguing thinker or opinion-maker that we hope ...
Wed, October 08, 2008
Message to Obama: We Were Greeted as Liberators
A casualty of the left's hatred for President George W. Bush has been a destructive inability to separate fact from fiction in the ongoing history of the war in Iraq. The latest case, which, sadly, ...
Fri, October 03, 2008
V&V Q&A with Earl Tilford
Editor's Note: The "V&V Q&A" is an e-publication from the Center for Vision Values at Grove City College. Each issue will present an interview with an intriguing thinker or opinion-maker that we hope ...
Thu, October 02, 2008
Governor, Who's the Leader of Angola?
Biden prepares for Palin
I would like to share a story on Senator Joe Biden that happened 27 years ago. It involved his international humiliation of a good man, and it became a habit for Biden. I'm confident Biden will ...
Fri, September 26, 2008
V V Q A
An Interview on America's Founding Fathers
V&V Q&A:
"Where Have You Gone, Thomas Jefferson?"
(An Interview on America's Founding Fathers and Modern Presidents)
With Dr. Paul Kengor
Editor's ...
Tue, September 16, 2008
Hating Palin: Words of Wisdom from Ronald Reagan
It has taken me a couple of weeks but I think I've finally gotten handle on why Sarah Palin's bravado Republican convention speech was such a smash among conservatives: After nearly eight years of ...
