Conrad Black, writing at *National Review*, about George Will’s address that took place at Washington University in St. Louis:
> He makes three principal points: that, in most cases, religion is a desirable belief for a society in general to hold, one that benefits equally all members of that society, including those who, like himself, have no religious beliefs; that Madison, as chief author of the Constitution, instituted the system of checks and balances among three coequal branches of the government to restrain the federal government from too dirigiste an intrusion in the rights and freedoms and natural course of the lives of the citizens; and that Woodrow Wilson compromised this with the assertion of the federal government’s right and duty to be more directly interventionist than the authors of the Constitution wished.
A brilliant speech by Mr. Will. You can find [the full text](http://rap.wustl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/George-Will-lecture-text.pdf) and (http://rap.wustl.edu/event/2012-fall-keynote-george-will/) at the Washington University website.