
When Presidents Lie: a history of official deception and its consequences, by Eric Alterman
Liar, liar, pants on fire. Continue reading When Presidents Lie: a history of official deception and its consequences, by Eric Alterman
Liar, liar, pants on fire. Continue reading When Presidents Lie: a history of official deception and its consequences, by Eric Alterman
This week I continue my American Odd essay series with a look at Conspiranoia!: the Mother of All Conspiracy Theories, by Devon Jackson. It’s the essay the UFO nazi Bilderbergers don’t want you to read … or do they? Continue reading American Odd: Conspiranoia!: the Mother of All Conspiracy Theories, by Devon Jackson
“Maximalist is a highly readable account of American engagement during the Cold War and the War on Terror. It provides a commonsense means to assess American military and diplomatic policy without the fog of political rhetoric.” Continue reading Maximalist, by Stephen Sestanovich @ NYJB
This week at CCLaP I review “The Secretary” by Kim Ghattas, about Hillary Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State, told from the perspective of a half-Dutch, half-Lebanese female correspondent for the BBC. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: The Secretary, by Kim Ghattas
The final volume of Kissinger’s memoirs details his tenure in the Ford Administration, along with my analysis on our current foreign policy situation and what conservatism has become. Continue reading Years of Renewal (1999) by Henry Kissinger
A limited-run series where I review three books about the Supreme Court of the United States, exploring its historical and ideological conflicts, and the transformations it wrought upon law and society. This week, the Burger Court stops Presidential tyranny in its tracks. Continue reading Mondays with the Supremes: Part IV: Tapes and Tapes
A Second Term and a Third-rate Burglary Now Watergate does not bother me Does your conscience bother you? Tell the truth. “Sweet Home Alabama,” Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974) Years of Upheaval, the second volume of memoirs by Henry Kissinger, continues his personal account of public service, spanning the time of Nixon’s re-election to Nixon’s resignation following the Watergate scandal. The memoirs record a short span of time although it encompasses a plethora of geopolitical, domestic, and personal events. In the words of Homer Simpson, this volume has it all, “the terrifying lows, the dizzying highs, the creamy middles.” Riding on … Continue reading Years of Upheaval (1981) by Henry Kissinger
Tears of a Courtier Political memoirs are works of self-justification. In the case of Henry Kissinger, he packages these self-justifications in the first volume of his memoirs, White House Years (1979). As a major partner with President Richard Nixon, Kissinger, working as the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (more commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor), he followed Nixon’s wishes to direct the nation’s foreign policy from the White House. Kissinger transformed himself from a Harvard academic to a diplomat engineering international relationships (political and military) of world-historical importance. During this period, Nixon and Kissinger could … Continue reading White House Years (1979) by Henry Kissinger