America Didn’t Lower the Bar for Character. We Buried It.
Lt.
Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) joins Mona Charen for a conversation about why character still matters in leadership, how America lost many of the institutions that once helped build it, and what the military can teach about integrity, responsibility, and moral courage in an era of political double standards.
show notes:
Mark Hertling on character
Mona and Mark discuss his book “If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal”
Programming note: This Wednesday join us for the next edition of The Bulwark Book Club. Mona Charen and Bill Kristol will discuss Mark Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson with you LIVE at 1:30 p.m. EDT. Drop your questions, comments, and thoughts on the book in the comments of this post.
Published in 1894, the novel tells the story of two boys–one born into slavery, the other the master’s son–who were switched at birth.
Watch your inbox for a link on Wednesday to watch the show.
The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Saturdays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.
Ad-free editions of The Mona Charen Show are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members. Access this member edition in the Bulwark App—now available on Apple and Google. Or set up the ad-free edition of this Bulwark show on your player of choice using your private RSS feed here.
Join Bulwark+ to unlock the rest
Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you:
- Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell.
- Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast.
- Plus community chats and commenting features. Your support helps keep our work sustainable and available to those who cannot afford a membership. Cancel anytime.

