“A fondness for power is implanted in most men, and it is natural to abuse it when acquired.”— Alexander Hamilton, The Farmer Refuted, 1775 Dear Friends, I rarely republish an essay, but last night I revisited something I wrote on December 21, 2025, when Donald J. Trump first tried to graft his name onto the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. I called it “Names Matter: Trump’s Hostile Takeover.” At the time, I argued that this was about far more than letters on a building. It was...

“The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society.”— James Madison, Federalist No. 57 Dear Friends, Over the years, I’ve learned to enjoy not just reading about the Sons of Liberty and the 18th-century Founders; I often explore the lives of more recent presidents as well. I’m mainly interested not only in their major achievements upon reaching the White House...

“By degrees, the people are brought to consider the soldiery not only as their protectors, but as their superiors.”—Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 8, 1787. Dear Friends, I was following the back-and-forth this week between members of the United States Senate and our civilian defense leadership when one exchange stopped me cold in my tracks. In a government built on checks, competing powers, and occasionally sharp political confrontation, Senators ask difficult questions of cabinet...