“A surprise to others, but not to me, since I've watched this closely for eight years now, is how George W. Bush has internalized the founders' belief that all human beings are endowed by their Creator with a certain inherent yearning for freedom. In turn, Bush has applied this to his vision for the Middle East, believing that a democratic transformation in that region is possible, given that inherent desire for liberty within all hearts, including the hearts of Arab Muslims. People disagree with that, which is fine, but that's the Bush vision.”
![“It is quite sad, to me, that that ideal, that vision and understanding [of American founding ], doesn't seem to be a part of the current political season.” quote by Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a05/paul-kengor-14302_currents_it-is-quite-sad-to-me-that-that-ideal-th_399953.jpg)
![“The presidents varied in the degree to which they cited the founders. Some, like JFK, LBJ, [Richard] Nixon, and [Bill] Clinton, cited them somewhat frequently, in the range of 100 to 200 times, though, regrettably, not in a thematic or notably profound or even interesting way. Others, like Gerald…” quote by Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9e3/paul-kengor-14302_bills_the-presidents-varied-in-the-degree-to-w_424735.jpg)
![“I was a child or didn't live through those presidents prior to [Ronald] Reagan, and thus didn't realize how little attention they had paid to the founders.” quote by Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/38b/paul-kengor-14302_attention_i-was-a-child-or-didn-t-live-through-tho_602258.jpg)
![“If our presidents, or potential presidents, don't know this or don't articulate [an America ideal], that's a blown opportunity. The president can teach as well as lead.” quote by Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2c6/paul-kengor-14302_america_if-our-presidents-or-potential-president_708330.jpg)
![“Which founders have these presidents cited - and why? What did, say, President [Ronald] Reagan's view of George Washington, or President [Bill] Clinton's view of Thomas Jefferson, tell us about their view of America and where they intended to lead the country?In many cases, it told us a lot about…” quote by Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/35c/paul-kengor-14302_america_which-founders-have-these-presidents-cit_968419.jpg)
