Academic Follies In Iowa
Everyone knows about the left's dominance of "elite" educational institutions. The truth is, though, that state universities and lesser-known schools are often worse. The University of Iowa is a case in point. Iowa's History Department has 27 professors, every single one of whom is a Democrat. Given the university's commitment to diversity, you might think that when the next opening occurred, the department would take the opportunity to hire someone not associated with the Democratic Party or with political liberalism.
You would be wrong, of course. Iowa's History Department had such an opening, and had at least one such applicant, Mark Moyar. Nor was Moyar underqualified by any conceivable measure: a graduate of Harvard with a Ph. D. from Cambridge University, he currently teaches at the U.S. Marine Corps University. But Moyar was not one of the eight applicants who made it past the screening of resumes. The problem, apparently, is that he is the author of a history of the Vietnam War titled Triumph Forsaken, which does not hew to the liberal line about the Vietnam War. Still, one might not think that being the author of Triumph Forsaken would be a black mark on the resume of an applicant for a teaching position. Here is a smattering of excerpts from reviews of the book, from Amazon:
"a stunning performance" – James M. Murphy, The Times Literary Supplement"one of the most important books ever written on the Vietnam War"
– Mackubin Thomas Owens, The Weekly Standard"akin to reading Euripides' tales of self-inflicted woe and missed chances"
– Victor Davis Hanson, City Journal"definitive"
– Guenter Lewy, New York Sun"Moyar makes so many striking contrarian arguments that one hardly knows where to begin.... This is an important book, a history that serves as a mirror on the present."
– Robert H. Scales, Wall Street Journal"Thought provoking, exhaustively researched, highly organized, and above all, outstanding."
– Rick Baillergeon, History"Moyar, who has strong credentials, has an engaging writing style and supports his arguments with dispassionate research, unlike many earlier revisionists' works... Highly recommended."
– Michael O'Donnell, Choice"Thoroughly researched and richly informative."
– George Cohen, Booklist"[a] definitive examination... It is essential reading for anyone wanting a fresh understanding of one of America's longest and most misunderstood conflicts."
– Charles Melson, Marine Corps Gazette
And we wouldn't want to leave out this one:
"will prove to be the indispensable history of the Vietnam War." – Scott W. Johnson, Powerline
For political balance, the book also features a jacket blurb by James Webb.
Moyar has chosen to go public with Iowa's decision, which has led to a lame effort by the university to explain why he was not a finalist for the job. You can read about it in the article linked above.
We interviewed Mark Moyar on our radio show last December. He was a great guest. You can listen to Moyar talk about his book here, and decide for yourself whether he is the sort of teacher you would want instructing your own children. In the meantime, the solid phalanx of liberalism in nearly all universities' social science departments continues to be impenetrable.
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