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That’s the guy.

Of Special Interest: Carroll Quigley and Bill Clinton
[http://www.draftymanor.com/bart/h_quigle.htm]

While doing research on the Web for this essay, I found a remarkable article by David Wilkinson of UCLA. We know the facts: Bill Clinton was a student of Carroll Quigley, considered him one of his two most influential professors at Georgetown, praised Quigley in his first nomination speech, and read The Evolution of Civilizations again in 1994 (if a review of that book on Amazon.com by a Clinton associate is to be believed).

Given these facts, Wilkinson asks the obvious question: How much of what Quigley taught was put into practice by his student, Bill Clinton, when that student became President of the United States?

Wilkinson’s article addresses that question up to 1995. It is a somewhat long but absolutely fascinating bit of writing, with insights into not only Clinton but Quigley as well. My “bias” antennae were fully extended, but I found Wilkinson’s discussion to be fair, objective, grounded in facts, and even funny in places.

It should be added that this article is written at a fairly high level of erudition. But if you’re willing to accept the occasional Buckleyisms (such as “praxis” and “oikumene”), you’ll be rewarded. There is some really first-class thinking and communication here, and I encourage anyone interested in seeing historical analysis put into action (or not, as their political beliefs may incline them) to take the time to read this piece.

You can read Wilkinson’s article here [http://jwsr.ucr.edu/archive/vol1/v1_n1.php]. The full title is: “From Mesopotamia through Carroll Quigley to Bill Clinton: World Historical Systems, the Civilizationist, and the President”.