One of the grand mysteries of the 21st century, which may well have to be explained in the 22nd century, is how Cornel West became a household name, even a celebrity, while most Americans have never heard of Leo Strauss. The supreme irony is that Strauss's influence is far more pervasive than West's: Strauss's acolytes have penetrated American government and higher education, and have proudly influenced the nation's social and public policies. In the Bush Administration itself there are numerous people who have been either taught by Strauss or who are disciples of his ideas—most notably Paul Wolfowitz, Stephen Cambone, the Under-Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, and Abram Shulsky, Director of the Pentagon's Office of Special Plans; and there are those outside of government with great influence on American domestic and foreign policy, such as William Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard .