Zinsmeister's "Dicey Past"

And Zinsmeister’s not-so-smooth departure from The American Enterprise might have remained a footnote in AEI history–except that, two months later, he was named Claude Allen’s successor at the White House.

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Publicly, conservatives praised the appointment. Grover Norquist called him an “intellectual’s intellectual,” while Zinsmeister’s former boss, AEI president Christopher DeMuth, said he was “thrilled” with the White House’s decision.

But, privately, many conservatives were stunned–and horrified. “Everyone who knows Karl that I’ve spoken to reacted with blatant shock,” says a former editor at The American Enterprise.