Executive Editor of The Weekly Standard, Fred Barnes is one of America’s most respected political commentators. In this conversation, Barnes reflects on key figures and events from his forty years of covering Washington, including Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Jack Kemp, and George W. Bush. Kristol and Barnes also discuss the rise of cable political commentary and Barnes' contribution to it from The McLaughlin Group to The Beltway Boys and Special Report.
May 25, 2015•1 hr 25 min
The fourth conversation in our ongoing series with the distinguished Harvard political philosopher considers the political philosopher Leo Strauss (1899 - 1973) and the "Straussian school" of philosophy he founded. Mansfield and Kristol discuss key themes in Strauss's work, including esoteric writing, the quarrel between Ancients and Moderns, and the theological-political problem. Mansfield also reflects on three outstanding students of Strauss: Seth Benardete, Allan Bloom, and Ernest ...
May 11, 2015•1 hr 37 min
An activist and former policy advisor to Ronald Reagan, Gary Bauer has been at the center of conservative policy battles for over three decades. In this conversation, Bauer recalls how he first became interested in politics as a teenager fighting corruption in Northern Kentucky. Kristol and Bauer also discuss Bauer’s advocacy of conservative principles in domestic and foreign affairs from the Reagan era until today. Considering contemporary American politics, Bauer argues for a reinvigorated, pr...
Apr 27, 2015•1 hr 16 min
In this conversation, Charles Krauthammer reflects on his upbringing in a politically-tumultuous Quebec, his work in medicine, and his views on Zionism, Judaism, and religion. Charles Krauthammer and Bill Kristol also discuss some of the key ideas, questions, and themes of his writing—including the “Reagan Doctrine,” an idea he coined, the role of America in a new post-Cold War world, and whether the America of 2015 is in decline.
Apr 13, 2015•1 hr 44 min
Jeff Bell is a writer, strategist, and two-time Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate (1978 and 2014). In this conversation, Bell discusses the Senate campaigns and his advocacy for supply-side economics and a return to the gold standard. Bell also reflects on major themes in the conservative movement from Barry Goldwater to Ronald Reagan. Finally, Bell and Kristol discuss the state of the Republican Party going into 2016.
Mar 30, 2015•1 hr 30 min
Paul Begala is a political adviser, commentator, and former Counselor to President Bill Clinton. In this conversation with Weekly Standard editor William Kristol, Begala gives an inside account of the 1992 campaign and tells the story of how the Arkansas governor won the Democratic nomination and the presidency. Begala also looks back on key moments in the Clinton White House and shares his experiences working with the president. Finally, Bill Kristol and Begala consider the 2016 field of Republ...
Mar 16, 2015•1 hr 15 min
A professor of politics at the University of Virginia, James Ceaser is one of the leading authorities on American Constitutionalism. In this conversation, Ceaser explains why the Constitution should play a greater role in our politics rather than simply in our courts. Kristol and Ceaser also discuss the character of party government and assess the presidency of Barack Obama.
Mar 02, 2015•1 hr 5 min
In this conversation, Bill Bennett reflects on key moments in his distinguished career, particular his tenure as secretary of education under Ronald Reagan, his work as the first drug czar under George W. H. Bush, and the writing of his best-selling The Book of Virtues. Bill Kristol and Bennett also discuss the case for education reform and vigilance against drug use in America today.
Feb 16, 2015•1 hr 11 min
Director of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, Fred Kagan is a foreign policy strategist and military historian. In this conversation, Kagan and Kristol discuss the strategy for the troop surge in Iraq in 2006/07, which Kagan helped devise. The two also consider the state of the U.S. military today, including how it operates in wartime, how it educates its cadets, and how it interacts with civilians.
Feb 02, 2015•1 hr 34 min
This is the third conversation in our ongoing series with the distinguished Harvard political philosopher Harvey Mansfield. In this conversation, Harvey Mansfield and William Kristol explore the distinctive characteristics of our two political parties. Kristol and Mansfield also consider Tocqueville, Machiavelli, and the limits of science—what Mansfield calls “rational control”—in modern politics.
Jan 19, 2015•1 hr 37 min
In this conversation, Gingrich gives an inside account of the 1994 Republican Revolution, when Republicans took control of both Houses of Congress for the first time in forty years. The former speaker also recalls his first political campaigns and how he began to influence Washington in the 1980s. Finally, Gingrich offers a personal take on mentors, allies, and rivals, including Gerald Ford, Jack Kemp, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton—as well as his reflections on presidents fro...
Jan 05, 2015•1 hr 47 min
Jim Manzi is the founder and chairman of Applied Predictive Technologies, a software company that enables businesses to design and conduct large-scale experiments, and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. In this conversation, Kristol and Manzi discuss how scientific trial-and-error might help us develop better business and policy practices. The two also reflect on the limits of science in politics and offer a modest defense of social science experimentation for policy making.
Dec 22, 2014•1 hr 11 min
Ruth Wisse is Research Professor of Yiddish and Comparative Literature at Harvard and a Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Tikvah Fund. In this conversation, Kristol and Wisse discuss the politics of anti-Semitism, why Israel is under attack in our universities, and the study of Yiddish literature. Wisse explains the nature of modern anti-Semitism and why it is best understood as a political phenomenon. She also reflects on a lifetime of teaching Yiddish literature, and discusses why we should r...
Dec 08, 2014•1 hr 48 min
In this conversation, Kristol and Hume discuss the early days of Fox News and the story of its ascent. Hume recalls his experiences in print journalism during the 1960's and 1970's and his work as a White House and Capitol Hill correspondent for ABC News during the 1980's and 1990's. Kristol and Hume also reflect on the media environment of today and its effects on American politics.
Nov 25, 2014•1 hr 20 min
This conversation features former senator and Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham and "Weekly Standard" political analyst and staff writer Jay Cost. In the first segment, Kristol, Abraham, and Cost analyze the results of the 2014 midterm elections, confronting myths advanced by the media and considering aspects that have gone underreported. In the second segment, Kristol, Abraham, and Cost assess the possible impact of the midterms on the open-seat presidential election in 2016....
Nov 11, 2014•1 hr 30 min
In this conversation, Kristol and Lieberman discuss key moments of Lieberman’s career in public service from his ascent in Connecticut politics to Gore-Lieberman in 2000, as well as his successful Senate campaign as an independent in 2006. Lieberman also reflects on colleagues and contemporaries such as Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Bob Dole, John McCain, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.
Nov 10, 2014•1 hr 2 min
The president of the American Enterprise Institute from 1986 to 2008, Christopher DeMuth is currently a distinguished fellow at the Hudson Institute. In this conversation, Kristol and DeMuth discuss political thinkers including Edward C. Banfield, James Q. Wilson, and Friedrich Hayek and consider how ideas shape policy. DeMuth also relates his story of a chance meeting with then-Senator Barack Obama and their discussion about Chicago politics.
Oct 27, 2014•1 hr 35 min
In this wide-ranging conversation, Kristol and Cheney discuss momentous events in Cheney’s career, including his service as secretary of defense during the Gulf War, his work as chief of staff for President Ford, his leadership in Congress during the Reagan years, as well as 9/11 and its aftermath.
Oct 13, 2014•1 hr 52 min
Gen. Jack Keane is a retired four-star general and former vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army. The conversation focuses on the advice that led President Bush to change strategies in the Iraq War via the troop surge, Gen. Keane’s remarkable career in the military, and the threats we face today.
Sep 29, 2014•1 hr 31 min
Peter Thiel co-founded PayPal and Palantir Technologies, was the first outside investor in Facebook, and is the author of "Zero to One, Notes on StartUps, or How to Build the Future." The conversation focuses on Thiel's experiences founding companies, the state of technology and innovation, and the crisis in American higher education.
Sep 15, 2014•1 hr 37 min
The second in an ongoing series with the distinguished Harvard government professor Harvey Mansfield, this conversation focuses on the political science of The Federalist, conservatism in America, and on feminism.
Sep 01, 2014•1 hr 33 min
Mark Blitz is a professor of political philosophy at Claremont McKenna College and author, most recently, of "Plato's Political Philosophy." The discussion focuses on great thinkers in the history of political philosophy, ancient and modern (Plato, Aristotle, John Locke, Karl Marx, G.W.F. Hegel, Friedrich Nietzsche) and the importance of studying them in contemporary America.
Aug 18, 2014•1 hr 45 min
The Hertog Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and editor of the policy journal "National Affairs", Yuval Levin is a leading figure in the public policy movement that has come to be known as "Reform Conservatism." This conversation focuses on how conservatives—and conservatism—should respond to the challenges of the twenty-first century.
Aug 11, 2014•1 hr 18 min
The Clifton Waller Barrett Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Virginia, Paul Cantor is a leading scholar of Shakespeare as well as an authority on American popular culture. In part one of a two part series, Cantor discusses comedies, tragedies, and what Shakespeare can teach us about politics. Plays discussed including Hamlet, Measure for Measure, The Merchant of Venice, Coriolanus, and Julius Caesar, among others. Visit www.thegreatthinkers.org for an online co...
Jul 28, 2014•1 hr 3 min
Charles Murray is one of America's most distinguished political scientists and the W. H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. This conversation focuses on Murray's groundbreaking books from "Losing Ground" to "Coming Apart," the controversies surrounding the publication of "The Bell Curve," as well as the economic and moral challenges that America faces today.
Jul 14, 2014•1 hr 12 min
A fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Elliott Abrams discusses his career in Washington, mostly in the State Department and the White House. Much of the conversation focuses on Abrams work on Latin American affairs and, particularly, Israel and Middle Eastern affairs.
Jun 30, 2014•2 hr 11 min
Leon Kass and Amy Kass were for many years teachers at the University of Chicago. There, they taught great books, political philosophy, the Hebrew bible, literature, and many other subjects as part of the university's then-commitment to a comprehensive education. This conversation focuses on the experience of teaching as well as considers themes such as love, friendship, and courtship in contemporary America.
Jun 30, 2014•1 hr 37 min
The first in a series of conversations with the Harvard government professor Harvey Mansfield. In this conversation Mansfield discusses his work on Edmund Burke, Alexis de Tocqueville, Niccolo Machiavelli, and the importance of political philosophy. He also discusses the influence of Leo Strauss.
Jun 30, 2014•1 hr 25 min
