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What Cooking, The Beach Boys, And Shipbuilding Tell Us About Our ‘Late Republic’

Conservative writer Michael Anton has chosen well among his vast array of essays across a variety of publications over more than a decade to present this collection.

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A couple of years ago, I had the privilege of attending the Claremont Institute’s Lincoln Fellows program in Newport Beach, California. On the last evening of the program, students and instructors hopped on a bus to a waterfront restaurant, and I found myself seated in front of the prolific writer, former White House official, and Claremont senior fellow Michael Anton. 

Anton, who recently completed his tour as the director of policy planning at the U.S. State Department under Trump — and was reportedly the brains behind the administration’s national security strategy — is a bit of an intimidating character. What one quickly realizes is not only that he is much smarter (and probably taller) than you, but that he suffers no fools, and tires quickly of small talk. Thus was I surprised to find him on this particular warm and sunny Southern California evening eager to discuss the Summer Olympics, as several of the female swimmers representing the USA were graduates of the University of Virginia, my alma mater. 

Unfortunately for me, who was beyond thrilled to talk to one of my favorite conservative writers and thinkers, I know nothing about competitive swimming. Apart from the name “Michael Phelps,” I mean nothing. You might as well ask me about cricket or curling. Thus, I awkwardly smiled, nodded, and did my best to pretend like I had some idea of what Anton was describing, fearful that at some point he might, suspecting my embarrassing ignorance, query my thoughts........

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