The truly successful politician has his finger not only on the pulse of popular opinion, but on the throbbing pulse of History. He can sense Destiny. He is not so much creative as an opportunist who knows what History demands, and provides it. To Fulfill Destiny you must first know what it is.

France’s new President, Nicolas Sarkozy, seems to be know exactly where he stands in History. His Finance Minister Christine Lagarde is quoted in the 22 July 2007 online edition of the New York Times as saying:

“France is a country that thinks,” she told the National Assembly. “There is hardly an ideology that we haven’t turned into a theory. We have in our libraries enough to talk about for centuries to come. This is why I would like to tell you: Enough thinking, already. Roll up your sleeves.”

This is Oswald Spengler’s prophesy coming true in as crisp and exact a way as he could have possibly imagined in his master work, “Decline of the West.”

For readers look for a synopsis see my essay “Is There Nothing Left To Say?”.