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David Brooks
5/25/2010

There were two periods of enlightenment, Brooks says, which include the French and British Enlightenments. Americans have never figured out which they are children of. Brooks looks at each vision of change and compares them. He says the core question in American politics is whether our nation’s founding was a radical departure or an act of preservation. Brooks adds that this was a source of dispute between Jefferson and Hamilton and between and within political parties today.

Brooks is a New York Times columnist.

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George F. Will
5/20/2010

America’s political shenanigans may never have been this entertaining, says Will. Democrat Mark Critz touted conservative ideals (such as being pro-gun and anti-Obamacare) and won Pennsylvania’s congressional election. Connecticut’s senatorial candidate, Democrat Richard Blumenthal, discussed his apparently false claim that he fought in a foreign war. Scott Cohen, Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, broke down over accusations of domestic battery and steroid use. Will cites other examples of this entertaining political scene, noting that the Republican party is nominating more conservative or libertarian candidates (from Kentucky’s Rand Paul to Utah’s Mike Lee) amid accusations of being “unhealthy.”

Will is a twice-weekly columnist for The Post, writing about foreign and domestic politics and policy.

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