Know Which Way The Wind Is Blowing

I liked "The Gospel of Wealth". But I am wary of the person who wrote the article.

David Brooks graduated from the University of Chicago in 1983 as a self-professed "liberal". Soon thereafter he was offerred a job with "National Review" and declared being converted to conservatism. He became an admirer of Milton Friedman, economic advisor to President Ronald Reagan, but in later years advised that the Republican Party must distance itself from the conservative principles that had arisen during the "Reagan era".  He claimed that these outdated concepts had served their purposes and should no longer be embraced by Republicans in order to win elections.

Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Brooks argued forcefully for American military intervention, proclaiming that American and British forces would be welcomed as liberators. When the Iraq war took a turn for the worse he began tempering his earlier optimism about the war.

In the spring of 2005 Mr. Brooks became an admirer of Barak Obama and soon thereafter published a column in The New York Times, entitled "Run, Barack, Run", urging him to run for president.  Now that things are going rather badly for the Obama administration, Mr. Brooks writes a very flattering article about David Pratt that could well have been written by a "TEABAGGER". And I am extremely skeptical of Mr. Brooks when he devotes an entire op-ed piece to a well known and respected evangelical preacher, yet in in late 2003 he came out in favor of same-sex marriage in his New York Times column. He even equated the idea with traditional conservative values: "We should insist on gay marriage. We should regard it as scandalous that two people could claim to love each other and not want to sanctify their love with marriage and fidelity.

"Beware the mariner who sails only with the wind, for seldom does he reach his desired port of call.  However, he who also sails against the wind shall reach his destination consistently."