It used to be said that of the think tanks in Washington, D. C., the Heritage Foundation was the Reagan Administration in exile and the American Enterprise Institute was the Ford Administration in exile. The unsaid corollary is that Democratic political appointees can seek refuge in the college of their choice, an option not available to most unemployed Republicans.
For example, George Washington University nabbed the latest Clinton Administration alumna. “The White House counsel to former President Bill Clinton was appointed as the next University vice president and general counsel Tuesday afternoon,” Marissa Bialecki reported in the GW Hatchet on October 18, 2007. “Beth Nolan, a former GW law professor and a current partner at the Crowell & Moring LLP international law firm, will serve as an adviser to University President Steven Knapp and will lead the GW’s legal staff.”
It should be noted that though the Clintonistas fit naturally on the majority side of the political party breakdown of most university faculties, they are not always that predictable politically. Just ask Larry Summers.
Malcolm A. Kline is the executive director of Accuracy in Academia.
