Thinking About George Washington

Tom Nichols at The Atlantic Washington fought for the office rather than its occupant. Sharply cognizant that his every action could constitute a precedent, he tried through his conduct to imbue the presidency with the strength of his own character. He took pains not...

Defending Institutions

Nathan Gardels at Noema: It is a mark of just how deep the crisis of governance across Western democracies has become that conflict irresolvable through political competition is giving way to the reconsideration of founding constitutions and the institutions they...

Yuval Levin on Civility

C-SPAN Washington Journal: The American Enterprise Institute’s Yuval Levin talked about how the framers of the Constitution dealt with political division and how the document they created can be used to restore civility among those who disagree..

Chile and Deliberative Democracy

Nathan Gardels at Noema: “Constitutions need general acceptance so we can turn to their rules to manage our differences,” the former left-of-center Chilean President Ricardo Lagos told me in September 2022 after the first attempt to ratify a proposed new constitution...

Liz Cheney on Oaths

Liz Cheney, Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning (New York: Little, Brown, 2023), 49. In Article VI of our Constitution, the founders required that every member of Congress, all state legislators, and “all executive and judicial officers” of the federal and state...