was aware of but my father served in the army. my uncle was a marine and both of my grandfathers served in the second world war so when i looked at the male role models in my life i recognize that they all seem to have this common experience that they all seemed to have done it period of service. none of them served as a career but i was 17 and i thought well they have all of these qualities that i admire. maybe this thing that they have all done is have they developed those qualities. i am and was then idealistic and believe very strongly in ideals upon which our country was founded. i think now have engaged in matured and been through some different things i may not need need -- i may not take things at face

value the way i once did and then there's the practical component to it. i wanted to go to college. it wasn't a good student and i knew i needed a little help in terms of writing those tuition checks. so there was that too and there is also one honest answer which i normally don't touch on but i feel again very open. my high school sweetheart, her dad was an army recruiter. [laughter] that may have played a part in a too. [laughter] >> that is a perfect match and on. thank you so much kevin. hold on, i want to remind you of one thing which is this book will be for sale upstairs and kevin will be there to sign them. this is europe to get a signed first edition of this book. think if you would have been able to get assigned edition of

the yellow birds. not just one but two. buy a copy of this book. it's going to be an important one. thank you. >> thank you very much. [applause] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]

>> as we begin i do want to point out one aspect. our guest today is also a part-time "fox news" commentator

millions of americans of course no bill o'rielly as the fact there. mallory in this case has been a fact there are long before the factor was cool. he is the john c. wes professor of international politics and american government at the citadel. he is the host and co-founder of the new york meeting a nationally recognized gathering of elected officials, journalists and business leaders and conservative authors in new york city and he also founded the similar charleston meeting which meets in south carolina. he previously offered "the new york times" bestseller which he is too modest to advertise, shadow bosses, government unions control america and brought the taxpayers blind great he is a member of the council on foreign relations and served as vice chairman of the council on foreign relations task force on terrorism and financing. he has frequently testified before the house and senate committees on terror financing, regulation of the financial services industry and other

economic issues. he also served as chairman of the free enterprise fund, a free market as he says do tank at the keynes economic growth lower taxes and limited government and also brought the challenge to sarbanes-oxley legislation before the supreme court and of course today we are featuring him on "big tent" where we have learned a little bit about our own movement, the leaders ended in their regulations leading up to where we are today. please join me in welcoming our good friend, mallory factor. [applause] >> john thank you so much. what a great introduction and needing. what better place to speak about conservatism that in the heritage foundation. want to think heritage for its support of a "big tent" project. many people at heritage were

instrumental and deserve my think starting with f. amir for his early support of this project and for contributing the forward to "big tent". thank you ed for forever urging me onward. general ed meese perpetrating the critical chapter on reagan and his keen observations on the early version of this manuscript. most of all i'm grateful for heritage is fine work in conserving and renewing principles of the american founding. my friends, i grew up in bridgeport connecticut, a homeless phineas taylor barnum. pt barnum as he was known was the greatest circus showman in history. let me paint a picture for you of how it was when i was a boy in an industrial new england city and the circus came to town a mile-long train with 60 cars

pulled into the train station. trucks moved on to the fairgrounds and local kids began to gather to watch the roustabouts unpack. finally they set out the three huge rings and raised the big tent, which seems to us impossibly big. it held the promise of a thrilling spectacle of the flying trapeze acts, typo -- tightrope walkers a human cannonball firebreather some lion tamer's and then, just bend when it as if things couldn't get any more exciting the roustabouts set up the sideshow acts, the parade of human curiosities, the freak show. these were the real mysteries of the circus for children yearned to see and yet that also haunted them later. bearded ladies, siamese twins chang in and, the living

skeleton, the test and aswan, zip the, the line faced man. my friends the show would certainly offend modern sensibilities but it was wildly successful. as pt barnum put it, nobody ever lost a dollar by underestimating the taste of the american public ..