THE CONSERVATIVE AFFIRMATION

In his first essay, Mr. Kendall tries his hand at a definition of conservatism. He finds for The Federalist Papers as against Mills' essay and calls to the colors, all those who would resist the Liberal Revolution with its creeping school buses, TVA's etc. Mr. Kendall's background is Academe and the hint of his sprightly lectern style sweeps through in such propositions as, ""There were 'McCarthyites', and there were 'anti-McCarthyites' and they got mad at each other, very mad, and stayed mad at one another- if anything, got madder and madder at one another-- through a period of several years"". (The jovial footnotes further reenforce the aura of the university insider.) Five more essays complete the first half of the book; one on the two majorities in American politics which analyzes the tension between the Executive and Legislative branches; another on the first amendment-- he sees these amendments as mere afterthoughts to the constitution; the third recaps the literature of the social contract; the fourth concerns the open society, and the fifth sums up the Christian pacifist as a heretic, barbarian and parasite. The rest of the book (just under 50%) is made up of old book reviews, most of which appeared in the National Review. One is therefore not wholly surprised to find that Mr. Kendall peers into each book, looking for traces of liberal fallacy. He is often rewarded, but then permits himself the liberty of departing from his role as a reviewer to enter into a diatribe on the natural superiority of what he calls the Christian Conservative. While the number of books for the conservative market is increasing, their interest is not increasing.