But, perhaps I have an outdated and naive view of contemprary historical standards.

With regard to the state of higher education; I tend to believe that human development is somewhat cyclical. Much like climate. I would hope that the next generation of academics will react to the current one by pushing the pendelum back. Unless, of course, they cooperate to tear our society down around our ears.

1. Put all countries on notice that should they support an attack on the United States, their governments will be toppled.

2. Overthrew two governments hostile to the U.S. within record time, making military history in the process, and replaced them with governments friendly to the U.S.

3. Removed Libya from the axis of evil and bracketed Iran between U.S.-friendly states with U.S. military boots on the ground.

4. Despite huge opposition, put in place the first functioning anti-ballistic missile program just in time to address viable threats from rogue states, like Iran and North Korea.

5. Restored the U.S. economy with record consecutive quarters of economic growth and record low unemployment after a recession and the devastating attacks of 9/11, a success that translated into record growth of global economies.

6. Prevented more devastating attacks like 9/11 on the nation (unlike Spain, UK, India, Thailand, Philippines etc.).

7. Overhauled the U.S. educations system, boosted government spending on education far higher than any of his predecessors (esp. Clinton), and instituted the first program (albeit flawed) for uniformly measuring educational progress in the U.S.

8. Created the largest ever humanitarian relief program for Africa by any western nation, addressing AIDS, malaria, etc.

9. Launched one of the largest ever humanitarian relief efforts following the Indian Ocean tsunami.

10. Successfully held the line on human embryo stem cell research, a morally divisive issue in the U.S., until a new and better technological alternative was developed.

11. Restored the Dept. of Energy’s budget on alternative energy resource development (after it had been cut by the Clinton Administration).

12. Improved U.S. standing and diplomatic relations with India, the African subcontinent, Eastern Europe, the formerly Soviet “Stans”, Peru, Columbia, Mexico and other countries and regions important to U.S. interests.

13. Reduced taxes on the majority of U.S. family units.

….would anyone else like to add to this litany of “failure”?

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/04/looking_back_at_life.html

My take on it is that as much as possible needs to be done to discredit and disempower the herd-following left wing professoriate. Consider the PC mentality. Yes, you may be a leftist, but you may not impose a speech code on us, for example. Leftists who try to impose their views on their students need to be taken to task. For example, if a math professor expresses a political view in class, inform the professor that this is a math class, and his political views are completely irrelevant to the course material at hand. You are wasting our valuable money by expounding your political views instead of teaching us math. Record professors lectures, for example, and publicize what they say. Document and publicize harassment of conservative speakers and student groups.

IOW, do as much as possible to make sure that the left wing professoriate keep their views to themselves. Shame them by documenting and publicizing.

I would not expect any different result from left wing academia in any event, whether the poll was now or in half a century, assuming the history profs then are of the same bent. In Britain a few years ago, they polled the history profs as to who was the greatest PM of the 20th century. By a wide margin, the choice was Clement Atlee, the post WWII marxist PM who divested Britain of the empire, nationalized major industry and created socialized medicine. Churchill, possibly the single greatest figure of the 20th century and the man responsible for leading Britain through the existential challenge of WWII - but decidedly not a darling of the left - came in a distant second. Thatcher, who did away with most of the changes imposed by Atlee to establish Britain’s first booming economy since WWII - came in fourth, behind another hard left PM whose name escapes me now. And interestingly, even the hard left ideologues of Labour have completely adopted Thatcher’s economic policies. It was’nt until Blair, in 1998, that Labour finally did away with the plank in its platform call for nationalization of all major industry and the mass redistribution of wealth.