Review of Fighting Words: A Tale of How Liberals Created Neo-Conservatism (Hardcover)

This book reveals a lot about neocons that I don't think much of the public would have known, because of how the media treats the word "neoconservative."You'd have to know a lot of history to know that many of the neocons started out on the left - some on the far left.Wattenberg's pride at having helped to pass the Great Society programs of the 60s really surprised me.The Civil and Voting Rights acts and Medicare weren't exactly key conservative causes, but so many of us (including me before I read this book) thought neocons were the furthest of the far-right.Not so true!

Promoting liberty and democracy for people around the world used to be a liberal cause, and it's been a loss for the left that we're not as strong as the Republicans about this.I think we could do a better job of it than they have (especially in terms of invading Iraq).

Wattenberg is a good writer with an interesting story.Now I understand the neocons better, and know what's good about them (really, there's a lot), but many have become plain old conservatives and that's bad.

Product Description

How did a nice, liberal Jewish boy from the Bronx come to be called a conservative?

Ben J. Wattenberg has been at the center of American ideas and events since 1966, when he became a speechwriter for and aide to President Lyndon B. Johnson. Recruited out of the blue, Wattenberg worked closely with press secretary Bill Moyers and immersed himself in the world of high-powered Democratic strategy making. Eventually he served as an adviser to two Democratic presidential candidates and in the 1970s helped write the Democratic National Platform.
But something funny happened on the way to the Great Society: Key players in the Democratic Party moved to the far left. Wattenberg was not happy with this situation, so he helped establish the Coalition for a Democratic Majority (CDM) and became one of the most outspoken voices in the so-called neo-con movement.
Neo-conservatism, with its signature cause of promoting liberty around the world, is a philosophy often misunderstood, and the phrase neo-con is used frequently as an insult by those who fail to understand the concept. Wattenberg traces the emergence of the movement from its earliest roots among Cold War thinkers such as Irving Kristol and Norman Podhoretz and from among the ashes of pre-radical liberalism of the early 1960s, to ideological giants Scoop Jackson and Pat Moynihan, to Jeanne Kirkpatrick and Ronald Reagan. The author also discusses the proliferation of neo-con "think tanks," such as the American Enterprise Institute, as well as the surprising appearance of a neo-conservative platform in George W. Bush's administration, in which a number of Wattenberg's protégés have played key roles.
With his characteristic wit and on-target observations, the author recounts personal anecdotes featuring a rich cast of characters from Johnson to Reverend Jesse Jackson to Rudolph Giulani, as well as many others. Never lacking for opinions---he calls himself the "immoderator" of PBS's Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg---the author is here to set the record straight, and as the New York Times has said, "Wattenberg has the annoying habit of being right." Replete with stories never told before, Fighting Words is Wattenberg's firsthand account of the remarkable transformation of American politics over the last four decades.

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Review of Strange Nervous Laughter (Hardcover)

Although this charming little novel begins with a robbery that brings three of the six protagonists together, the theme is undoubtedly the vagaries of love: "Human nature is the source of all bad romantic comedies." In the unlikely pairings of a group of eccentric characters, the author explores the many faces and detours of romantic love. The city of Durban, South Africa, is immersed in the hottest summer that anyone can remember, the nights as humid and steamy as the ongoing dramas between disenchanted lovers. And what a rogue's gallery McNulty has provided: Beth, cashier in a neighborhood grocery compelled to save every man she falls in love with, thus perpetuating a constantly shattered heart; Pravesh, an undertaker, appearing at first the perfect boyfriend, unsure of himself and hiding a rather kinky fetish.

Aisha is a dreamer who floats through the world without direction; and Mdu has communicated with whales since childhood, half a man waiting to become part of a whole. Then there is Harry, collector of everyone's cast-offs, separated from loving parents by their untimely death. Perhaps the most complicated of all is Meryl, who has armored herself against the emotional pain of failed romance only to meet the perfect man and be blinded to his charms by her fear. In a blend of magical realism and black comedy, these tortured lovers stumble through the painful stages of romance, from euphoria to boredom, from terror to submission, from selfishness to fulfillment. For all its whimsy, there is a strong element of truth in these strange pairings, the urgency of connection to another human being, for approbation and acceptance, for completion.

As unique as the South African city where a steamy summer yields unusual couplings, each character is riddled with flaws and self-doubt, with hubris born of ignorance and frustration born of desperation. One cannot help but be enchanted by the prose of this talented writer, her imagination as fresh and vibrant as the ever-changing landscape of lovers at odds with one another and with fate. The most defiant and stubborn are brought to their knees by love's demands in a flavorful, spicy stew of false starts and leaps of faith. Luan Gaines/2009.



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Review of Starting Out Sideways (Hardcover)

Roseanna Plow knows her life has fallen apart.Her husband Teddy has left her after admitting to an affair with her best friend Inga; they live together.Her vocation as a social worker focusing on career counseling is difficult yet rewarding when she places one of her developmentally challenged clients; however, now one of her successes Milton Beyer seems to be stalking her as he is everywhere.Her dad has prostrate cancer and now her mom the steamroller, who informs everyone with mirth that her daughter came down the birth canal sideways, has moved in temporarily to give her maternal support, TKO style.

The only positive note is Milton's boss at the SaveWay Mickey "Ham" Hamilton seems nice.However, before she can decide whether to forget cheating Teddy and move on perhaps with Ham, she learns a dark family secret.Soon she and her mom are going toe to toe over what she now knows.

This is a well written poignant family drama starring a likable heroine who believes she must be the female reincarnation of Job as everything suddenly has gone wrong.Roseanna is a wonderful character who holds the deep tale together although the support cast is fully developed and enhances the plot.Contemporary readers will enjoy Mary E. Mitchell's amusing yet discerning character study.

Harriet Klausner




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Review of Vets Under Siege: How America Deceives and Dishonors Those Who Fight Our Battles (Hardcover)

Vets Under Siege: How America Deceives and Dishonors Those Who Fight Our Battles

From Washington, DC to rural California, politicians never miss a chance to proudly state their support for the troops. Across America, one can't miss the numerous public declarations of support through yellow ribbon decals emblazoned on hybrid and SUV bumpers alike. And, today even hometown parades are thrown for local heroes returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thus, with so much public support for those who wear the uniform why are so many discarded by the country they fought for? As a veteran of the Iraq war with close ties to the veteran community I see firsthand the injustices veterans are forced to endure in order obtain the benefits they more than deserve and have already earned many times over.

Martin Schram's, National Affairs correspondent for the Washington Post and syndicated columnist, latest book is a scathing indictment of government agencies that neglect our veterans through callousness, incompetence, maliciousness, indifference, or combination thereof. Schram's primary focus in, Vets Under Siege: How America Deceives and Dishonors Those Who Fight Our Battles, is the Department of Veterans Affairs, often derisively called the Department of Veterans Adversaries by veterans. Researching veteran's movements, government and press reports, and conducting personal interviews, Schram sets out to tell the story of the often heartbreaking fights between veterans in critical need of their benefits and a bureaucracy which systematically denies those benefits. All Americans should be disturbed as they read Schram's detail descriptions of the horrendous bureaucratic red tape and outright wrongs committed against disabled veterans. Take the case of former Sergeant Orville Kelly who during the 1950's witnessed twenty-two nuclear explosions. After developing lymphocytic cancer he filed a claim for benefits only to be denied. For five years he fought the VA for his benefits, which were finally awarded in 1979. However, Mr. Kelly died in June 1980. Or the case of Garret Anderson who was wounded in Iraq when an IED ripped through the truck he was driving, resulting in the loss of his right arm, a broken jaw and a body full of shrapnel. When he applied for disability compensation, VA bureaucrats who never met Mr. Anderson concluded, "Shrapnel wounds all over body [are] not service connected."

Schram dutifully describes the adversarial system veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War I, the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the conflicts in between, have had to navigate and the disrespectful manner with which veterans are routinely denied benefits. Schram also hits at the root cause for why such an inverse system exists. As Schram convincingly argues, the problem is a bureaucratic cultural mindset that assumes veterans are asking for benefits that they do not deserve, especially with regards to disability compensation. As Bob Filner, San Diego Congressman and Chairmen of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs put it, "Inside the VA they see their sole job is to say to the veteran, `You are a liar and we are going to prove that you are a liar and that you didn't deserve your benefits that you have claimed.'"

Vets Under Siege should be required reading for all who believe they "support the troops," because that support must not end when the warrior returns home. As veterans of America's wars can attest to, the war often begins anew when we come home. Indeed, the American people must fight for our veterans by pressuring our national leaders to hold the VA accountable and true to its motto, "To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan."




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