Conversations With Bill Kristol

This conversation features former senator and Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham and Weekly Standard political analyst and staff writer Jay Cost. In the conversation Kristol, Abraham, and Cost analyze both the Republican and Democratic races and assess where things might go for each party as we move into primary season. Will the current frontrunners--Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton--be the nominees? What are the chances of other major candidates? The group discusses these and many other questions in this conversation on the 2016 race for the White House.

The fifth conversation in our ongoing series with the distinguished Harvard government professor considers the French political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-59). Mansfield and Kristol discuss key themes in Tocqueville’s work, including the nature of democracy and his views of America. They also consider Tocqueville's views as to why individualism is a danger to democracy, how associations counteract individualism, and how religion and liberty reinforce one another in our times. Mansfield also describes Tocqueville’s own life and political career, and how his thought differs from that of other modern thinkers such as J.S. Mill, Edmund Burke, John Locke, and Thomas Hobbes.

Mitch Daniels served as director of the Office of Management and Budget (2001-03), governor of Indiana (2005-13), and currently is president of Purdue University. In this conversation, Daniels reflects on his career in politics, business, and education, including his leadership of Eli Lilly and Company and his remarkable tenure as a reform-minded governor. Daniels also articulates his view of the proper role of government at both the federal and state levels: limited, but effective within its sphere. Daniels and Kristol also discuss the state of intellectual freedom on campus.

A resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and former philosophy professor, Christina Hoff Sommers is a thoughtful analyst and trenchant critic of radical feminism. In this conversation, Sommers and Kristol discuss how American feminism, once focused on practical questions such as equal opportunity in employment for women, instead became a radical ideology that questioned the reality of sex differences. Narrating her own experiences as a speaker on college campuses, Sommers explains how the radical feminism of today's universities stifles debate. Finally, Sommers explains a recent controversy in the video game community, which she defends from charges of sexism in a widely-publicized episode known as "GamerGate."

Nominated by President George W. Bush, Samuel Alito has served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court since 2006. In this conversation, Justice Alito describes the inner workings of the Court, particularly how the justices arrive at decisions. Justice Alito and Kristol also discuss some recent controversial cases regarding free speech as well as Alito's dissent in the same-sex marriage ruling. Finally, Alito reflects on his upbringing in New Jersey, his legal education, and his career.

Yale University professor David Gelernter is a pioneering computer scientist, cultural critic, and artist. In this conversation, Gelernter details the decline in America’s cultural literacy over the last few generations—a phenomenon Gelernter terms “America-lite.” Gelernter also discusses computer science, the future of the Internet, and the promise and peril of new technologies. Finally, Kristol and Gelernter consider art and the art world today.

Professor Emeritus of Classics and History at Yale University, Donald Kagan is a preeminent historian of both the ancient and modern worlds. In this conversation, Kagan and Kristol discuss what humanity's greatest wars—from the Peloponnesian War to World War II—can teach us about the nature of war and the sources of human conflict. Kagan also discusses his education in history at Brooklyn College, his groundbreaking work on Thucydides, and his distinguished teaching career at Yale. Finally, Kristol and Kagan discuss the state of the study of history and the liberal arts more generally in America today.

Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, Peter Berkowitz is a leading scholar of political philosophy and American politics. In the conversation, Berkowitz discusses how our universities—due to a combination of political correctness and professional specialization—have neglected their core mission. Berkowitz and Kristol also consider what might be done to educate students where universities fail at the task. Finally, Berkowitz discusses his experience teaching liberal arts and fighting for their preservation on campus.

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.

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 Fortin.

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, pro-Main Street conservatism.

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.

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.

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 Republican candidates.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 from Eisenhower to Obama.

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.