America

March 1, 2008
Those tired of reading about the 2008 presidential candidates may wish to turn to these books by U.S. politicians expressing varying degrees of separationeven alienation from current party dogma. Hagel, senior Republican senator from Nebraska, is popular in his home state, but he has faced attacks from fellow Republicans for his outspoken objection to the Iraq War and the Bush administration's foreign policy. His book with eclectic journalist Kaminsky ("American Waters: Flyfishing Journeys of a Native Son") is a thoughtful and provocative assessment of current U.S. policy and loss of stature in the eyes of our allies. Hagel evaluates U.S. diplomatic relations and stresses the need for consensus building and collaboration with other countries' leaders. He expresses dismay at the current divisive, partisan political climate and rejects the position that criticism of the Republican administration is disloyal or unpatriotic. A former business owner, he also discusses economic issues and tax policy, expressing a more conventional, business-oriented Republican philosophy.

Specter, the centrist Republican senator from Pennsylvania, ventures in his book with attorney Scaturro ("The Supreme Court's Retreat from Reconstruction") to theorize that the stress he suffered as he fought with more conservative Republicans to obtain the Senate Judiciary chairmanshiphis comments on the nomination process for Supreme Court justices were interpreted by some fellow party members as a challenge to Bush's authorityas well as the stress of strenuous primary and general election campaigns may have contributed to his contracting Hodgkin's disease. He details his determination to maintain a normal work (and workout) routine during his successful chemotherapy treatment and also provides extensive behind-the-scenes reports on the actual approval processes for Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito.

Former Minnesota governor Ventura is the ultimate political outsider, and he couldn't be happier in that role. His book, with environmental journalist Russell, is a combination memoir and call-to-rally as he and his wife travel across the West and down the Baja Peninsula. All his dislike for the two-party system and the media and his distrust of government, the CIA, and the military-industrial complex are displayed in an engaging, sometimes humorous, assessment of his experiences as governor. He reminisces about his trip to Cuba, where he met Castro, and he proposes solutions to environmental, economic, and foreign-policy problems facing the world today. In the epilog he holds out the possibility that he may open a third-party campaign for President this year. All three books offer insights and thoughtful perspectives on current U.S. political issues and are recommended for public libraries. Jill Ortner, SUNY at Buffalo Libs.

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