TRUTH AND UNTRUTH: Political Deceit in America

by ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1971

This orderly indictment of the Nixon administration by Representative Pete McCloskey, the Republican dove and consumer-conservation advocate from California who plans to challenge the president in some of next year's primaries, is nicely timed for the New Hampshire kickoff in March. Reading like an extended piece for the New York Times Magazine, it not only includes the familiar list of alleged Nixon fabrications and censorships (suppression of damaging SST data; Carswell conceits; cover-ups in Cambodia and Vietnam) but also McCloskey's own political credo which is genuine Ripon liberally coated with high fustian. There is nothing wrong with the system, ""We, the people, are rather failing the system""; we are apathetic and by way of remedy the young congressman urges ""adoption of a new national ethic, that of the tithe -- 10 percent of one's time, energies, resources and effort directed to the achievement of excellence in government."" These well articulated cliches apparently go down well on the hustings (you will recall that it was McCloskey who waylaid Shirley Temple Black's Good Strip Lollipop in 1966) and there is Kennedy-charisma in his profile and every little bit of campaign literature helps.

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1971

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1971

Categories: NONFICTION