A conservative think tank: the "distinguished" Claremont Institute

Tom Fuentes

     As you know, trustee—and one-time chief OC Republican—Tom Fuentes has worked for and is a “senior fellow” of the "conservative" grunt tank Claremont Institute, which is not to be confused with the Claremont Colleges.  
     He’s also on CI’s Board of Directors.
     Today, I did a little exploring of CI. One of its programs awards fellowships to "civil-minded professionals":

Lincoln Fellows Program
   Lincoln Fellowships are awarded to ambitious, civic-minded professionals working in the area of national public policy and who seek the return of limited constitutional government. ¶ During the week-long program, Lincoln Fellows meet with the Claremont Institute's Senior Fellows and other distinguished visiting scholars to study American politics and political thought.” (Lincoln Fellows)

     Gosh. They must be wonderful scholars, these Lincoln Fellows. Imagine what they learn from the likes of Tom Fuentes!
     Naturally, CI is proud of its Lincoln Fellows and it provides a little bio for each. Here’s the one for Lincoln Fellow Christine O’Donnell (class of ’02):

Christine O'Donnell is President and founder of a national youth organization, The Savior's Alliance for Lifting the Truth. Ms. O'Donnell is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University, where she majored in English and communications. She has made numerous television appearances, been interviewed and profiled in national newspapers and magazines, and works as a media and public relations consultant.

     Wow. She's a "consultant," just like Tom.
     You remember Christine. For many of us, her very best “television appearances” were these:





     Another Lincoln Fellow—too recent to have a CI bio—is expert smearmeister Andrew Breitbart.
     You remember him. When Ted Kennedy died, people said the usual somber and appreciative things. But not “Lincoln Fellow” Andrew:

Washington mourned the passing of the last of the Kennedy brothers Wednesday…. Andrew Breitbart, a Washington Times columnist who oversees Breitbart.com and BigHollywood.com, tapped into the anti-Kennedy vein in the hours after the senator’s death was announced, posting a series of Twitter messages in which he called Kennedy a “villain,” a “duplicitous bastard” and a “prick.” (Politico)

Washington Times columnist Andrew Breitbart labeled Kennedy "a special pile of human excrement," along with epithets that cannot be printed in a family newspaper. (PennLive.com)

     But, being a CI Lincoln Fellow, Breitbart went on to bigger things:

Anatomy of a smear campaign CNN's Randi Kaye looks at the timeline of the apparent smear campaign waged against USDA's Shirley Sherrod [by Andrew Breitbart]

     Gosh. Do you suppose that Tom took Andrew under his wing and showed 'em how politics is really done?
     I guess it could have been one of the other CI "scholars."