go through the day unless they havernsomebody else to look down on,” thernPresident declared. He should know.rnDespite his best efforts, America’s experimentrnin forced integration is coming tornan end, but it will leave great devastationrnin its wake.rnThose who oppose forced busing oftenrnclaim that “children don’t learn anythingrnon a bus.” That’s not quite true.rnThey may not learn how to read or tornadd, but they do learn that their politicalrnleaders view them as pawns in an elaboraternscheme to remake society, and thatrnthe President and the federal courts arernwilling to sacrifice their educahon in orderrnto reeducate their parents. Andrnlearning that, they also learn to view thernfederal government with increasingrnskepticism.rnAs the neighborhood school movementrnspreads across the country and localrnschool systems throw off the chains ofrnfederal control, America may actuallyrnbecome the kind of country that thernPresident claims he wants it to be: “AnrnAmerica that makes sure no future generationrnof our children will have to payrnfor our mistakes with the loss of their innocence.rn-Scott?. KichertrnNATIONAL REVIEW’S First internationalrnConservative Congress was arnsomber affair, as one conservative afterrnanother admitted that the tide of historyrnhad turned against them, not only herernin the United States, but also in Britain,rnFrance, Italy, and Germany. Paradoxically,rnthis is the best news to come out ofrnthe conservative mainstream in manyrnyears. What the cosponsors (the HeritagernFoundation and the Claremont Institute)rnwere thinking is anybody’s guess,rnbut the two-day affair was a victory forrnNR editor John O’Sullivan, who had therncourage to face reality and the recklessnessrnto invite such conservative emigresrnas Samuel Francis and the editor ofrnChronicles.rnConversations overheard indicated arnhigh level of dissatisfaction with O’Sullivan’srndecision to include discussions ofrntiade and immigration, but as Sam Francisrnpointed out in his presentation, conservativesrnwill continue to lose the RearS-rnff OS C frnm – 5459rngan Democrats as long as they pursuerntheir dream of free trade and open borders.rnSome of the performances were comicallyrnbad: ex-Reaganites telling us thatrnall we have to do to “win one for the Cipper”rnis to parrot his slogans. Like thernFrench Bourbons, who learned nothingrnand forgot nothing, the Reaganites, ifrnthey returned to power, would make thernsame mistakes that landed them in theirrncurrent disconsolate exile. Steve Forbes,rnon the other hand, apparently knowsrnhow to learn from his mistakes. Insteadrnof harping on the flat tax, Forbes touchedrnupon a variety of social and moral issuesrnthat are clearly meant to be the core ofrnhis next campaign. I”or all his obviousrndrawbacks, Forbes may turn out to be arnreal contender for election in 2000.rnThe high point of the conferencerncame near the beginning, in a politernface-off between Mr. O’Sullivan andrnWilliam Kristol. The performance ofrnKristol fih disappointed even hisrnwarmest admirers—the speech was poorlyrnwritten, weakly argued, and devoid ofrnwit—while Mr. O’Sullivan pulled out allrnthe stops. It was hard not to rememberrnthat O’Sullivan had been a speechwriterrnfor Margaret Thatcher, while the editorrnof the Weekly Standard had written forrnDan Quayle. As we go to press, the newsrnis in that John O’Sullivan is no longer editorrnof National Review.rnEPICYCLES:rn• Look for Vice President Al Gore tornbecome the scapegoat in the Clinton administration’srnfundraising scandal. ThernJustice Department is closely examiningrnhis success at raising funds from Buddhistrnnuns, as well as any role he mayrnhave played in raising “soft money” —rnfunds donated to the Democratic Partyrn—which was used for “hard money”rnpurposes, such as Clinton-Gore campaignrncommercials. Meanwhile, JanetrnReno is quietiy giving the all-clear signalrnto President Clinton. The proof ofrnGore’s sacrificial status will come whenrnDick Gephart, Gore’s main rival for thernDemocratic nomination in 2000, beginsrnto defend Bill Clinton vigorously,rninstead of in his current halfheartedrnmanner.rnO B I T E R DICTA: This issue marks anrnimportant turning point in the history ofrnChronicles and The Rockford Institute.rnAfter 13 years of service as editor ofrnChronicles, Thomas Fleming has beenrnelected president of The Rockford Instituternby the board of directors. In additionrnto his new duties. Dr. Fleming willrncontinue to serve as editor oi Chronicles.rnThe former president of The RockfordrnInstitute, Allan Carlson, will head uprna new nonprofit corporation —ThernHoward Center on Family, Religion,rnand Society—named in honor of educatorrnand cultural critic John A. Howard.rnThe Center on the Family in Americarnand tlie Center on Religion and Society,rnformerly programs of Tlie Rockford Institute,rnwill compose the new HowardrnCenter. Dr. Harold O.J. Brown and Dr.rnCarlson will contribute regular columnsrnon religion and family issues to Chronicles.rnAnnouncing Dr. Fleming’s electionrnas president of The Rockford Institute,rnboard chairman Norman McClellandrnalso declared the Institute’s renewed andrnstrengthened commihnent to increasingrnthe circulation and influence of Chronicles.rnDr. Fleming described the board’srnaction as “a great leap forward for Chronicles”rnand added that, under his leadership,rnthe Institute would continue to administerrnthe Ingersoll Prizes, organizernconferences, provide speakers, and expandrnits newspaper editorial program.rnMain Street Voices. Through thesernmeans, the Institute will maintain itsrncommitment to political and economicrnliberty, the traditional family, and the religiousrnand cultural foundations of Westernrncivilization.rnChronicles readers who are not alreadyrnmembers of The Rockford Institute arernurged to join. Further details aboutrnmembership can be found on p. 15 ofrnthis issue. In addition, anyone who donatesrn$1,000 or more by December 31rnwill become a Refounding Member ofrnThe Rockford Institiite. For more information,rnplease contact ChristopherrnCheck, executive vice president of ThernRockford Institiite, at 815-964-5053.rnThe poetry of Timothy Murphy fromrnFargo, North Dakota, returns to ourrnpages this month. A collection of Mr.rnMurphy’s verse, with a critical prefacernby Ingersoll Prize recipient RichardrnWilbur, will be published next year byrnStory Line Press. Our artist this month isrnAnna Mycek-Wodecki, the art directorrnof Chronicles. Her work has appeared inrnexhibitions in Warsaw, Paris, New YorkrnCity, and, most recentiy, Rockford.rn8/CHRONICLESrnrnrn