October 13, 2004

The first ideologue

By Geoffrey P. Hunt
George W. Bush stands accused of being a unilateralist, oreven worse, an 'ideologue,' by the dominant Neville Chamberlain wing of the Democratic Party  This is a milder, less inflammatory charge than the 'fascist' or 'theocrat' labels applied by the radicals and Hollywood elites, but it is intended to sting. America, the implied message goes, is no place for an ideologue. I beg to differ. Earlier in our nation's history, being an ideologue was a mark of distinction, worthy of high praise instead of high dudgeon. Belief in transcendent truths and high purpose was what made America different — and better than the nations of what we did not yet call 'old Europe,' but raher the "old world." President Bush, the ideologue, enjoys the company of other Presidential ideologues such as Ronald Reagan, Woodrow Wilson, James Monroe, and Thomas Jefferson. But in the beginning, there was John Winthrop, founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, their spiritual ancestor. Ronald Reagan,...(Read Full Article)