Last Saturday night I had the pleasure of joining the better part of a thousand guests at the storied Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles to celebrate the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the venerable Claremont Institute.
Each year the Claremont Institute hosts a wonderful evening dinner event at which they bestow their coveted Statesmanship Award to a deserving individual who has, in word and deed, furthered the mission of the Institute, which is, to restore the principles of the American Founding to their rightful, preeminent authority in our national life. These principles are expressed most eloquently in the Declaration of Independence, which proclaims that "all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights." To recover the founding principles in our political life means recovering a limited and accountable government that respects private property, promotes stable family life, and maintains a strong national defense.
Who better than Vice President Dick Cheney, who, along with his wife, Lynne, was on hand to receive the Claremont Institute’s highest honor?
(In the photo to the right, former Vice President Cheney and Claremont Institute President Brian Kennedy pose with the Statesmanship Award, appropriately a bust of Sir Winston Churchill.)
In his remarks, former Vice President Cheney looked back at his time as Vice President from that chilling morning of September 11, 2001, and all that came afterward, with America under the clear and present danger of a terrorist attack. Cheney talked about how it had not been his intention to have as “high a profile” in his post Vice-Presidency life, but that he felt compelled 
to come to the public spotlight when President Obama released memos detailing Bush-era interrogation techniques and would not completely rule out prosecuting or disciplining former Bush administration officials. Cheney remarked that he and his wife would cherish the Statesmanship Award, and that it would be prominently displayed in their home.
As just one attendee in the audience, I will tell you that I was immediately struck by how disappointing it is that Cheney is no longer in his role as Vice President, and wonder with dismay how we could have ended up “downgrading” the talent in that office to its current occupant.
Following Vice President Cheney’s remarks, and our wonderful dinner, the guests were treated to a series of three special toasts, which in essence were to celebrate the Institute’s 30th Anniversary. Dr. Charles Kesler raised his glass to toast both Abraham Lincoln, and to Dr. Harry Jaffa (who is one of the world’s foremost experts on the life, philosophies and ideas of former President Lincoln – who was in attendance at the gala). Here is Dr. Kesler’s toast (this and the other video’s below were taken by me, sans tripod, so pardon a bit of camera movement)… Kesler, a leading experts on the ideas espoused by the founders, is the editor of the Claremont Review of Books. The wry wit of Dr. Kesler is wonderful as always, and makes for a superb blend of heart-felt sincerity, and biting sarcasm…
Dr. Larry Arnn, who today is President of Hillsdale College in Michigan, is a former long time President of the Claremont Institute. He gave the second post-dinner toast. Arnn’s toast is to the Claremont Institute, and to famed British statesman and leader Winston Churchill. You can learn much about Churchill from Arnn’s words. (This toast ran slightly over the ten-minute video limit on You Tube, so it is broken into two parts.)
Finally, the last toast was offered by none other than Dr. Bill Bennett, who served as Secretary of Education under President Reagan, among many other notable Presidential appointments. Bennett currently hosts a nationally syndicated talk show, and is the Washington Fellow for the Claremont Institute. Bennett’s toast is to Vice President Cheney and his wife, Lynne, and to the Claremont Institute’s current President Brian Kennedy…
Of course I could spend a number of paragraphs at this point just listing out the droves of movement conservatives and political leaders that were on hand for the event – that would be a bit onerous, and invariably I would leave some important people out. But I will note that former Governor Pete Wilson was on hand, as was my old friend Bruce Herschensohn (and so many others). A number of state legislators were present and local elected officials, including my first employer in politics, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich. Not present in the room physically, but there in spirit was my old friend Tom Silver, who for a time served as President of the Institute. He would have been very proud of the success of the sold-out gala.
The event went superbly, and much of the credit goes to Brian Kennedy and his outstanding team at the Institute – and to longtime friend and Claremont Institute Senior Fellow Tom Fuentes who did a superb job as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. But I choose to give the most important credit to all of those amazing donors to the Claremont Institute, large and small, who participated in the gala. The funds raised at this event help to support many of the Institute’s important programs throughout the year. Find out more about the Institute by visiting their website here.
While I have had the privilege of attending other grand events sponsored by the Institute in the past, this year’s gala was particularly meaningful as last summer I was accepted into the Institute’s prestigious Lincoln Fellowship program, in which I participated in a week of intense and challenging seminars and discussions on the statesmanship of Abraham Lincoln, and of the founders of our great nation. This seems an appropriate spot to thank my good friend and fellow California Republican Party Board Member Keith Carlson for encouraging me to apply for the 2009 Lincoln Fellowship – he himself being a graduate of the program. The Fellowship was an experience akin to taking the “red pill” offered by Morpheous in The Matrix.
(Credit for the great photos above goes to Yana Bridle. Credit for the videos of dubious quality — that would be all mine.)
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