Synopsis
It has become commonplace to say that the public is tired of politics and politicians, and is so disenchanted with business as usual in Washington that people are opting out of participating. Now, it seems, the politicians themselves are tired, too. In ASSAULT ON REASON, Al Gore tells us that the state of public discourse is so low that our very democracy is threatened.
Gore argues that the fault lies with ourselves--politicians, parties, the media, and the citizenry. True, he is pointedly critical of the administration of President George W. Bush, for reasons stated in the subtitle and under whose watch the debasement he speaks of has taken place. He is specific about how the checks and balances and other protections put in place by the founding fathers have been flouted, and how Congress, in his view, seems to have rolled over. But he comes not to blame, but to rebuild. To dig ourselves out of the hole we are in, Gore would restore openness and healthy debate to the public sphere, along with a good dose of reality. Reason and good faith must rule over personalities and partisanship. By the end, Gore's book is a call to action, and a challenge to the only ones who can bring about change: "We, the people."
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2008-04-29 | | Edition Description: | Reprint |
| Size | | Length: | 308 pages | | Height: | 8.5 in | | Width: | 6.0 in | | Thickness: | 0.8 in | | Weight: | 16.0 oz |
Publisher's Note
An analysis of the consequences of the current administration's fear, secrecy, and faith-based initiatives explains how the Bush administration has dangerously compromised America's capacity for addressing long-term challenges, from national security and the environment to health care and economic stability. Reprint.
Industry Reviews
"...Gore's professorial style, with its touches of sarcasm, omniscient tone, erudite asides and exasperated sighs, elicits a different response today than it did seven years ago....The change in attitude is as obvious as the reason behind it: The overwhelming scientific consensus has since confirmed Gore's years of warnings about the most important issue facing the planet....Even when he is saying something we already know, his voice adds a note of prophetic confirmation."
(06/03/2007)
"But this isn't a campaign book or another venture in teaching and advocacy. It's a deep public remonstrance, inspired a little by Tom Paine's COMMON SENSE, which combined anger at King George III in his day with larger arguments that the institution of monarchy itself had become a threat to our liberties. Gore is no Paine, but he argues persuasively that Bush's tenure is no longer a constitutional presidency. The book is part polemic, part impeachment in hard covers."
(05/23/2007)
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