Posted June 28, 2004

In a famous correspondence, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison debated the books and essays that should constitute the norma docendi for the University of Virginia law faculty. Among other documents, Jefferson argued for inclusion of the Declaration of Independence and The Federalist. The former, wrote Jefferson, represents "the fundamental act of Union of these States," while the latter explains "the general opinion of those who framed and those who accepted the Constitution of the United States on questions as to its genuine meaning."

Madison agreed with Jefferson's list of documents, adding to it George Washington's First Inaugural and Farewell Address. But, Madison advised his old friend, "the most effectual safeguard against heretical intrusions into the school of politics, will be an able and orthodox professor." The meaning of any text, including the documents of the American Founding, can be perverted. One need only survey the wreck made of our Constitution by deconstructionist law professors to see the prescience of Madison's warning.

Teaching the true meaning of the principles of American government and safeguarding "against heretical intrusions into the school of politics" is the first priority of the Claremont Institute. For a quarter of a century, we have produced "able and orthodox" teachers—citizens who understand and teach the principles of freedom, both in and out of the classroom, to their fellow countrymen.

Our combined educational programs form what we sometimes call the "Claremont School of Politics," unique in its emphasis on the moral and political conditions of freedom, always taking its bearings from the principles of the American Founding. Beginning in 1996, we have gathered the rising stars of the conservative movement every other summer for a week-long, intensive seminar in politics: the Abraham Lincoln Fellowship program. Our purpose is to teach them, in their various capacities, how to be "able and orthodox" teachers and to equip them to become practitioners of a statesmanship not unworthy of the program's namesake.

The Claremont Institute is proud to announce the 2004 Abraham Lincoln Fellows:

• Michael Cannon is Director of Health Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, and served previously as a domestic policy analyst at the U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee under Senator Larry Craig. Mr. Cannon has made numerous appearances on national media, including CNN, CNBC, Fox News, and National Public Radio, and is a senior fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis.

   

• Horace Cooper was Legislative Director and Legislative Counsel under Congressman Dick Armey before accepting his current position as Chief of Staff at the Employment Standards Administration. Mr. Cooper has also served as Chief of Staff at Voice of America, and holds a law degree from George Mason University School of Law.

   

• Chuck DeVore is the Republican nominee for California's 70th Assembly District, and vice president of SM&A, a defense and aerospace systems engineering and business consulting firm. He served as a Reagan White House appointee in the Pentagon from 1986 to 1988 and was Senior Assistant to Congressman Chris Cox. DeVore is a major in the Army National Guard, and author of the internationally selling novel, China Attacks.

   

• William Inboden is a special advisor in the U.S. Department of State's Office of International Religious Freedom. He has also worked in the offices of Congressman Tom DeLay and Senator Sam Nunn, and was a Civitas Fellow in Faith and Public Affairs at the American Enterprise Institute. Inboden holds a Ph.D. in history from Yale University, and has published articles in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

   

• Dexter Ingram is a staff member of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, under the direction of Congressman Christopher Cox. Prior to joining the select committee, Mr. Ingram was a threat assessment specialist at the Heritage Foundation. A former flight officer with the United States Navy, he is an adjunct professor at George Mason University, and has appeared on CNN, Fox News, ABC's "This Week," and NBC's "Dateline."

   

• Todd Lowery is a defense analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, where he studies the Revolution in Military Affairs and emerging challenges to U.S. national security. He also teaches in the department of government and politics at the University of Maryland, where he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. He recently served as a research consultant for a television show on the history of battlefield technologies.

   

• Michael Ramirez is an editorial cartoonist at the Los Angeles Times and winner of the 1994 Pulitzer Prize and the 1996 Mencken Award for Best Cartoon. Educated at the University of California, Irvine, Ramirez's work has been syndicated by Copley News Service since 1988.

   

• Hugo Restall is a member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board, focusing on economic topics such as fiscal and monetary policies as well as market regulations. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Mr. Restall worked for 10 years as editorial page editor of the Asian Wall Street Journal. He holds a degree in Asian studies from Dartmouth College, where he was editor-in-chief of The Dartmouth Review.

   

• Nick Sanborn is a staff assistant in the office of U.S. Senator Norm Coleman. He is a recent graduate of Pepperdine University, where he received a degree in psychology and a minor in philosophy.

   

• Daniel Sullivan is a legislative assistant for U.S. Congressman Pat Toomey. He also worked as a research assistant at the Family Research Council and was a financial analyst for Morgan Stanley & Co. Mr. Sullivan holds a degree with honors in history from Williams College.

For more information about the Abraham Lincoln Fellowship Program, contact Tom Krannawitter at (909) 621-6825.