My senior essay at Yale was an intellectual biography of Irving Kristol up through the founding of The Public Interest in 1968. I was particularly interested in what caused him to move from Left to Right, as I have always been intrigued by ideological migrations. What I discovered, interestingly enough, was that Kristol's migration occurred earlier than for most of those identified as neoconservatives. Indeed, I doubt whether he really fit the definition at all. Nonetheless, he was rightly labeled the "godfather" of neoconservatism for his role in shepherding neocons and their ideas. He never understood the libertarian impulse, but his efforts helped open the door to some important libertarian ideas. And while he got about as many things "wrong" as "right," he was among the most important public intellectuals of the later 20th century.

I've posted some additional thoughts on The Corner at NRO.