9, ISBN: 9781101158876

I've never read a better explanation of why presidents lie."-John W. Dean, former counsel to President Nixon, The Washington Monthly By the end of the twentieth century, after decades of … Mehr…

I've never read a better explanation of why presidents lie."-John W. Dean, former counsel to President Nixon, The Washington Monthly By the end of the twentieth century, after decades of demoralizing revelations about the mendacity of their elected officials, most Americans had come to accept the fact that deception was not only an accepted practice in government but also pervasive. Whatever the reasons proposed to justify falsehoods-practicality, expediency, extraordinary conditions of warti I've never read a better explanation of why presidents lie."-John W. Dean, former counsel to President Nixon, The Washington Monthly By the end of the twentieth century, after decades of demoralizing revelations about the mendacity of their elected officials, most Americans had come to accept the fact that deception was not only an accepted practice in government but also pervasive. Whatever the reasons proposed to justify falsehoods-practicality, expediency, extraordinary conditions of wartime-the ability to lie convincingly had come to be regarded as almost being a qualification for holding public office. Although such behavior has come to be tolerated, little accounting has been taken of the effects of this institutionalized dishonesty in our political culture. When Presidents Lie: A History of Official Deception and Its Consequences addresses its subject not from a moral perspective, but from a pragmatic one, and discovers that in the end, honesty in government is, in fact, the best policy. Journalist and historian Eric Alterman's meticulous research is drawn from primary-source materials, both government documents and the media reactions to the unfolding dramas, and demonstrates how these lies returned to haunt their tellers, or their successors, destroying the very policy the lie had been intended to support. Without exception, each of the presidents paid a high price for deception. So, too, did the nation. This is history at its most compelling, a balanced, eloquent, and revelatory chronicle of presidential dishonesty and its incalculable costs. In the fundamental questions it raises about leadership, accountability, and democracy, it is required reading for anyone who is concerned about America's past-or her future. History & Theory, Politics, When Presidents Lie~~ Eric Alterman~~History & Theory~~Politics~~9781101158876, en, When Presidents Lie, Eric Alterman, 9781101158876, Penguin Books, 09/23/2004, , , , Penguin Books, 09/23/2004<

ISBN: 9781101158876

“I’ve never read a better explanation of why presidents lie.”—John W. Dean, former counsel to President Nixon, The Washington Monthly   By the end of the twentieth century, after decades … Mehr…

“I’ve never read a better explanation of why presidents lie.”—John W. Dean, former counsel to President Nixon, The Washington Monthly   By the end of the twentieth century, after decades of demoralizing revelations about the mendacity of their elected officials, most Americans had come to accept the fact that deception was not only an accepted practice in government but also pervasive. Whatever the reasons proposed to justify falsehoods—practicality, expediency, extraordinary conditions of wartime—the ability to lie convincingly had come to be regarded as almost being a qualification for holding public office. Although such behavior has come to be tolerated, little accounting has been taken of the effects of this institutionalized dishonesty in our political culture. When Presidents Lie: A History of Official Deception and Its Consequences addresses its subject not from a moral perspective, but from a pragmatic one, and discovers that in the end, honesty in government is, in fact, the best policy. Journalist and historian Eric Alterman’s meticulous research is drawn from primary-source materials, both government documents and the media reactions to the unfolding dramas, and demonstrates how these lies returned to haunt their tellers, or their successors, destroying the very policy the lie had been intended to support. Without exception, each of the presidents paid a high price for deception. So, too, did the nation. This is history at its most compelling, a balanced, eloquent, and revelatory chronicle of presidential dishonesty and its incalculable costs. In the fundamental questions it raises about leadership, accountability, and democracy, it is required reading for anyone who is concerned about America’s past—or her future. 9780670032099,9781101158876,1101158875 Other pricing structure might be available at vitalsource.com., Penguin US<

ISBN: 9781101158876

"When in doubt," advised Mark Twain, "tell the truth." As if to prove Twain's point, Eric Alterman examines four 20th-century cases of little White House lies that escalated into major na… Mehr…

"When in doubt," advised Mark Twain, "tell the truth." As if to prove Twain's point, Eric Alterman examines four 20th-century cases of little White House lies that escalated into major national problems. The four examples are bipartisan: FDR's misrepresentation of the Yalta Conference; JFK's lies about the Cuban Missile Crisis; Lyndon B. Johnson's fabrication of North Vietnamese aggression; and Dwight Eisenhower's costly fibs about our Central American policy. The book closes with an examination of the mendacity of the current administration. When Presidents Lie isn't just an honesty sermon; it's a fascinating study of American foreign policy in the post-World War II era. EBooks Books ~~ Political Science & Government~~ General When-Presidents-Lie~~Eric-Alterman Penguin Group (USA)<

ISBN: 9781101158876

When Presidents Lie:A History of Official Deception and Its Consequences Penguin Books Eric Alterman When Presidents Lie:A History of Official Deception and Its Consequences Penguin Books… Mehr…

When Presidents Lie:A History of Official Deception and Its Consequences Penguin Books Eric Alterman When Presidents Lie:A History of Official Deception and Its Consequences Penguin Books Eric Alterman eBooks > Fachthemen & Wissenschaft > Politikwissenschaft, Penguin Publishing Group<

ISBN: 9781101158876

When Presidents Lie: A History of Official Deception and Its Consequences When-Presidents-Lie~~Eric-Alterman U.S. History>U.S. History>U.S. History NOOK Book (eBook), Penguin Publishing G… Mehr…

When Presidents Lie: A History of Official Deception and Its Consequences When-Presidents-Lie~~Eric-Alterman U.S. History>U.S. History>U.S. History NOOK Book (eBook), Penguin Publishing Group<