- Hardcover
- Publisher: Free Press, The, New York, NY, U.S.A. (1999)
- ASIN: B002JMQUYC
Amazon.com Review
Don't look for President Clinton's picture in The Book of Virtues; bestselling author and former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett considers Bill Clinton uniquely unvirtuous. In the wake of the White House intern sex scandal, Bennett accuses Clinton of crimes at least as serious as those committed by Richard Nixon during the Watergate imbroglio. Rising above anti-Clinton polemics, The Death of Outrage urges the American public--which initially displayed not much more than a collective shrug--to take issue with the president's private and public conduct. Clinton should be judged by more than the state of the economy, implores Bennett. The commander in chief sets the moral tone of the nation; a reckless personal life and repeated lying from the bully pulpit call for a heavy sanction. The American people should demand nothing less, says the onetime federal drug czar. In each chapter, Bennett lays out the rhetorical defenses made on Clinton's behalf (the case against him is "only about sex," harsh judgmentalism has no place in modern society, independent counsel Kenneth Starr is a partisan prosecutor, etc.) and picks them apart. He may not convince everybody, but this is an effective conservative brief against Bill Clinton. --John J. Miller --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
That the author of the Book of Virtues (1993) is appalled by the Clinton-Lewinsky affair is certainly no surprise. Nor is it surprising that Bennett's take on the affair was rushed into publication just after the president's short speech on the matter. After all, if the president was to resign, the book would be moot. Bennett's stated objective is to put the presidential sex scandal into a larger perspective; he hopes to shows that if Americans accept the arguments made in Clinton's defense, "we will have committed an unthinking act of moral and intellectual disarmament." To make sure that doesn't happen, Bennett sets out all Clinton's defenses and attempts to shoot them down. His topics include sex, character, politics, Ken Starr, law, and judgment. Anyone who has heard Bennett (or any of his fellow talking-heads) on the unending television shows that are tracking the scandal will find nothing new here. On the other hand, Bennett's organization is crisp, and his arguments, unlike those of so many on both sides of the issue, are cogent. That doesn't mean a bit of demagoguery here and a bit of disingenuousness there doesn't creep in. For instance, he baldly states that Clinton or Reno could simply fire Starr if they feel he has performed his job so poorly. Surely he's old enough to remember the Saturday Night Massacre and how well that worked out for Nixon. Whether this book will change anyone's mind is doubtful, but there can be no doubt about one thing: Bennett will continue to turn up on the talk shows. Ilene Cooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
U.S. News & World Report A piercing commentary on the Moinca Lewinsky scandal and a defining event within it. -- Review
Product Description
In this new, updated edition of a book heralded as a clarion call to the nation's conscience, William Bennett asks why we see so little public outrage in the fade of the evidence of deep corruption within Bill Clinton's administration. The Death of Outrage examines the Monica Lewinsky scandal as it unfolded, from Clinton's denials that he had had sex with a young White House intern, to his testimony before the grand jury, to the nation's decision not to remove Clinton from office. Brick by brick, Bennett dismantles the wall of defenses offered by Clinton and his apologists, and casts the clear light of moral reason and common sense on a shameful chapter in American history.
About the Author
William J. Bennett served as Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President Bush, and as Secretary of Education and Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities under President Reagan. He is the editor of The Book Virtues and is currently co-director of Empower America in Washington, D.C.
From The Washington Post
...a slim book with a correspondingly slim premise ... Bennett displays contempt for average Americans, calling us fools because we do not view the president the same way he does. Rather than seeking to understand the moral underpinnings of positions others take, he dismisses them as debased, lacking in morality. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
