American Enterprise Institute

Capitalism, contrary to the popular leftist myth, doesn't cause wars: indeed, capitalism is the antithesis of war. Yes, some profit from war–the war industries, and their economic satellites. If the American Enterprise Institute sold stock, they'd be right up there with Google. It doesn't matter that their intellectual stock–as predictors and policymakers–is at an all-time low, what with the Iraq war disaster and growing public opposition to our crazed foreign policy. What matters is that those in power–in the White House, and Congress–are buying it.

Reason: You've also had some history of advising candidates and presidents. How did you get involved in the Goldwater campaign?
Friedman: Through Bill Baroody at the American Enterprise Institute. The American Enterprise Institute was originally the American Enterprise Association, and had established a board of academic advisers to advise them on their publications. I had been a member of that I think since its inception, and Baroody arranged sometime in the early '60s a number of dinners at his house at which Goldwater was present.

HESS: ... William F. Baroody, Sr., the founder of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) ... was probably much more important [than Buckley]. He was actually more thoughtful and had more of a vision beyond anticommunism. AEI, which was founded in the late '40s, early '50s, is the fountainhead of the New Right and the most important part of it. It is also very serious; it's very reputable; it does good work. In other words, if the New Right is to have an intellectual base beyond the simple theology of hating the Soviets, or hating communists, or hating Marxists, it will come out of AEI.