The Death of Outrage: Bill Clinton and the Assault on American Ideals

Bennett, William J.

ISBN 10: 0671043927 ISBN 13: 9780671043926

Publisher: Audioworks, 1998

Synopsis

Explains why Americans should not excuse the President's improper behavior and the undermining of the moral leadership of his office.

About this title

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

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 holds a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from Williams College, a doctorate in political philosophy from the University of Texas, and a law degree from Harvard. The editor of the bestselling Book of Virtues, Dr. Bennett is currently co-director of Empower America and is the John M. Olin Distinguished Fellow in Cultural Policy Studies at the Heritage Foundation. He and his wife, Elayne, and sons, John and Joseph, live in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

About this edition

• Publisher: Audioworks
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0671043927
• ISBN 13: 9780671043926
• Binding: Audio Cassette