POLITICS + CURRENT AFFAIRS
 
  John Dean

John Dean has become one of the most trenchant and respected commentators on the current state of American politics and one of the most outspoken and perceptive critics of the administration of George W. Bush in his New York Times best-sellers Conservatives Without Conscience and Worse Than Watergate.

In his eighth book, Dean takes the broadest and deeper view yet of the dysfunctional chaos and institutional damage that the Republican Party and it's core conservatives have inflicted on the federal government.  He assesses the state of all three branches of government, tracing their decline through the presidencies of Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II.  Unlike most political commentary, which is concerned with policy, Dean looks instead at process-making the case that the 2008 presidential race must confront these fundamental problems as well. Finally, he addresses the question that he is so often asked at his speaking engagements:  What, if anything, can and should politically moderate citizens do to combat the extremism, authoritarianism, incompetence, and increasing focus on divisive wedge issues of so many of today's conservative politicians?

With the Democrats now in control of both the House and Senate, the stakes for the 2008 presidential election have never been higher.  This is a book for anyone who wants to return government to the spirit of the Constitution.

John Dean was counsel to president Richard Nixon for a thousand days and the governments key witness in the Watergate trial.  He also served chief minority counsel for the House Judiciary Committee and as an associate deputy attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice. He lives in Beverly Hills, CA.

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  Robert Scheer

Robert Scheer has built a reputation for strong social and political writing over his 30 years as a journalist. His columns appear in newspapers across the country, and his in-depth interviews have made headlines. He conducted the famous Playboy magazine interview in which Jimmy Carter confessed to the lust in his heart and he went on to do many interviews for the Los Angeles Times with Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and many other prominent political and cultural figures.

Between 1964 and 1969 he was Vietnam correspondent, managing editor and editor in chief of Ramparts magazine. From 1976 to 1993 he served as a national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, writing on diverse topics such as the Soviet Union, arms control, national politics and the military. In 1993 he launched a nationally syndicated column based at the Los Angeles Times, where he was named a contributing editor.

Scheer can be heard on the political radio program Left, Right and Center on KCRW, the National Public Radio affiliate in Santa Monica, Calif.  He has written seven books, most recently, Playing President: “My Close Encounters with Nixon, Carter, Bush I and Clinton--and How They Did Not Prepare Me for George W. Bush, (ISBN # 9781933354019; publisher, Akashic Books).

Scheer is a syndicated columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle, and also clinical professor at The University of Southern Californa, Annenberg School for Communication.

www.truthdig.com

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  Barry Goldwater Jr.

With wit, experiences, and candor rivaling the best personalities and an appreciation for the need to balance the daily travails of life with humor, Barry M. Goldwater, Jr. offers a blend of knowledge that can make a significant contribution.

Already involved in local civic activities such as the Boys Club, Big Brothers, the Boy Scouts of America, and the president of a local Lions Club, Barry at the age of 30 ran for Congress and won. He not only won that election but seven more, serving 14 years in Washington, D.C., representing half a million constituents of northern Los Angeles County. He and his father were unique, representing one of the few instances in U.S. history when both father and son were serving in Congress at the same time.

Barry's 14 years in Washington (1969-1984) left an imprint on him and on the nation. He served on a number of committees, including Committee on Science and Technology, Committee on Public Works and Transportation, and the Joint Committee on Energy. His areas of expertise included energy, the space program, aviation and defense, and government procurement. He was on the committee that reviewed the disaster involving the space shuttle "Challenger." Barry authored and saw the Privacy Act of 1974 signed into law. He served on the privacy Commission that looked into privacy issues affecting the private and corporate sectors. This issue remains a matter of his concern as we move into a global electronic network and information systems. He was very instrumental in all facets of energy policy and research and development including authoring the Solar Photovoltaic Act. He has also been involved with organizations as diverse as the National Aeronautic Association, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. He is a Life Member of the American Numismatic Association. He is also looked upon as an expert concerning transportation matters.

Congressman Barry Goldwater, Jr. retired from politics in 1983 and in1984 entered business in Beverly Hills , Los Angeles , New York and Phoenix where he currently lives with his wife Sylvia Goldwater and near his son Barry M. Goldwater III. For the past 23 years Barry has held responsible positions involving finance and management including eight years as a member of the New York Stock Exchange. He has used his government experience and knowledge like a knife to pry open and get to the heart of a problem effecting business impacted by regulation or law. His love of business is only surpassed by his humanitarian interests which have landed him awards such as the Leadership Award from the President's Commission on Employment of the Handicapped and an Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. His business career has not diminished his compassion for the people and his commitment to making this a better and safer world in which we live.

www.barrygoldwaterjr.com

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Susan McDougal

Susan McDougal grew up in a small Arkansas town and became a household name when she was jailed after refusing to testify in the Whitewater investigation headed by Kenneth Starr and the Office of Independent Counsel.

After serving 18 months in prison, President Clinton pardoned Susan McDougal shortly before leaving office in 2001.  

Most recently she toured the country with the documentary film The Hunting of the President: The 10 year Campaign to Destroy the Clinton's (20th Century Fox) in which she is featured heavily. Susan also tour the US speaking for universities, colleges, corporations and bookstores about the plight of young women in prison and the political landscape today.

Her NY Times best-selling book The Woman Who Wouldn't Talk, (Carroll & Graff, 2003), is her story of how she fought through until the end to preserve her integrity as an innocent bystander in the rush to convict President Bill Clinton.  Susan is currently working on a new book about the women she met in prison and a motion picture of her life story is currently in development based on her best selling book.   Susan lives in Arkansas.

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