Product Description
This selection entitled, The Executive Collection: William Jefferson Clinton , includes 39 speeches dictated by the 42 president of the United States.Selection includes an active table of contents with original dates of speeches.

Speeches include, Inaugural Addresses, State of the Union, Lewinsky Allegations, Democratic National Convention, Statement on Kosovo, Statement on Rwanda,Address on Bosnia, Address on Affirmative Action, Address on Somalia, Address on Gays in the Military and many more.

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Product Description
In this comprehensive and balanced examination of Bill Clinton's foreign policy--the first such book to cover all the global focal points of his administration to date--William G. Hyland brilliantly shows the effects of Clinton's confusion over the nature of the post-Cold War world combined with Clinton's unique personality characteristics. His first term was marked, in the author's analysis, by murky policy, unrealistic goals, and the mishandling of several crises. By the end of that term he had learned some hard lessons, was able to alter his pattern of response, and reversed himself on some major aspects of foreign policy--all to benefit, in the author's view, the country and the world as a whole. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good, but could be better
Hyland goes through various crises and problems that plagued the Clinton administration, but neglected to address the rising terrorist threat. Al-quada attacked our facilities in Saudi Arabia and Africa, which significantly refocused American attention to a growing danger.It would have been interesting to have read how the interplay between the White House and FBI regarding how to respond.

In addition, the author glossed over the rampant corruption in Russia and how the administration failed to hold senior Russian officials, to include former PM Viktor Chernomyrdin accountable.Al Gore worked closely with Chernomyrdin, and their lackluster ability to reorient the Russian economy reinforced critics' claims that Clinton more about propping up corrupt regimes to score political points than in providing a long-term vision.

You're not going to believe this one!
Over the past three years of books reviews I have read over 15 books on the Clinton Administration. Every book has taken the administration apart for one reason or another that was until now. Hyland unbiased andstraightforward look is refreshing and pleasant for a change.

Hyland hasa unique ability to make the politics of Washington interesting so thatmore than the usual political junkies will read the book. The book outlineswhat Bill Clinton did or didn't do in the first four years, his revampingof policies and the alterations of the second term.

Over the course ofthe 200 plus page book, the reader is treated to a look into Bill Clinton'shandling and mishandling of every foreign situation. The author shows thatover the first four years mistake after mistake lead Bill Clinton to makehard decisions.

What surprised me most about this book was the way theauthor remained neutral throughout the whole book and laid out, with greatdetail, how difficult it is to make foreign policy. While I may not agreewith the author on several points, he does present a clear and convincingargument that should make for interesting reading. ... Read more

Product Description
The year is 1968. Like thousands of other American boys, Carl Melcher is drafted and sent to Vietnam. His new company is infected with the same racial tensions plaguing the nation. Despite that, Carl makes friends on both sides of the color line. The war, like a tiger lurking in the bushes, picks off its victims one by one. Naively over-optimistic, Carl believes that karma and good intentions will save him and his friends. Then fate intervenes to teach Carl something of the meaning of life, and death.

Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam was a finalist at the 2001 Frankfurt eBook Awards, along with works by Joyce Carol Oates and David McCullough.

Recommended by: Library Journal:

“In this fictional account of the Vietnam War, Clayton shuns drama and political issues, detailing instead the minutiae of one soldier's experience. The simple language reflects the identity of an uncertain youth drawn involuntarily into a new and unfamiliar world.…this novel does reveal Clayton, himself drafted in 1968, to be a reflective and strategic writer."
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Customer Reviews (18)

Solid, Evocative Coming of Age in Vietnam Story
What would you do if you were sent to Vietnam as a young man? How would that confusing war change you? How would you come home? In a casket? Without legs? Without hope? Grateful?

Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam provides a plausible, evocative answer as a likeable narrator fumbles, mumbles, and stumbles in a strange land. Friendship is easier to find than solace, and our anti-hero gains perspective through loss and amidst chaos and confusion. Sometimes getting home alive is victory enough - if you have good friends.

This thin, semi-autobiographical novel felt real, but I have only been to Vietnam as a tourist and teacher in the 21st century. I must admit, however, that Paul Clayton made me feel blessed that I never had to go to Vietnam as a soldier. What more do you want from a tragic war novel?

I recommend this thin, engaging coming of age novel for fellow travelers to Vietnam, high school students, and especially children of Vietnam Vets. It's one of those books that raises big questions and describes the dangers of innocence in a time of war.

Great Book!
Plot/Storyline: 5 Stars

I have read many fictional accounts of wartime, but this one is the most realistic I have come across. Unlike many other novels centered around a war, this one does not try to vilify or praise the soldiers, military, or government. It simply tells the story of one regular guy who got drafted. Various opinions are displayed, but never in a preachy kind of way.

Carl is not a hero. He's just a soldier doing what he's told to get through his tour alive. The story is told solely through his narration. In the beginning, you almost think he's a bit `Gump-like' in his immaturity and naiveté. Throughout the remainder, his voice matures in small, but definite increments as he faces the grind of being an infantry soldier.

While there is an abundance of military lingo used, the author takes care to explain each term. He does this subtly through Carl, without ever resorting to lecture mode.

Character Development: 5 Stars

Carl is a wonderful, deep character that will stay with you long after you finish the last page. His voice is so simple and clear that you feel as though you are there with him in the trenches.

The author introduces each character as Carl meets them with a physical description, then deepens the development through their conversations with Carl. You won't just love Carl; you will also love his friends, Beobee, Glock, Ron, and many others. This wonderful story breathes life into each one.

Writing Style: 5 Stars

The events and action are all told in a clear voice leaving no room for confusion. The descriptions are tactful, delivering the full horror without resorting to efforts at shocking the reader.

Editing/Formatting: 4 3/4 Stars

The editing was of professional quality. The formatting had a small issue of extra line spacing between paragraphs.

Rating: PG-15 due to Violence, Mild Graphic Violence, Drug Use

Well done!
I'm not much into reading about Vietnam (my preference has always been WWII), but I do like to try reading books I wouldn't normally choose. This was well worth the time and effort--good characterization, and a story that held my attention.

Shallow and dull
I wasn't touched by this book at all. I found the characters shallow and too numerous to keep track of. That would be fine if this were a war book, but it's not. It's a personal journey work, and the combat is secondary. Little insight is provided into Carl's state of mind as he meanders through Vietnam. And the end of the book leaves us flat as we are left with Carl in his living room watching TV.

A personal journey book like this one is supposed to invite us into his world with tremendous detail about the environment, and personal insights into what these events meant. This book doesn't provide much of either.

There are some interesting stories in there. That's why I give it three stars. But overall the book needs a lot more detail, fewer characters that are more fully animated, and some editing.

Rewarding, Coming-of-Age Novel about a GI in Vietnam
Almost everyone grows up, leaves home and begins to encounter the real world.For those who are lucky, this encounter occurs in the quiet precincts of a college campus or a job where a friend or relative is never far way.In 1968, when this novel is cast, that growing up occurred for many young American men in Vietnam.

Carl Melcher is an 18-year-old draftee who finds himself in the infantry because the war isn't going well for the United States and its South Vietnamese allies.He views the whole experience through rose-colored glasses, feeling that the accumulated karma of having led a good life will see him through.That world view is challenged by experiences in which the best efforts of mere mortals seem to be inadequate to offset a strongly ironic fate for the soldiers.For every action, there seems to be an equally strong and nearly immediate reaction in an unintended direction.The plot is nicely built to both capture the perspectives of a young and naive soldier and to challenge his philosophy.

One of my cousins served in the Marines a little before this time, and his recollections of his time there tally very well with the story and perspectives in this book.As a result, I found that the semi-autobiographical story rang true in a way that many war novels do not.

If you are looking for a book that glories war, heroism, or the American cause, look elsewhere.This is one of those quiet books that is more of an anti-war book, although that does not seem to be its overt purpose.I was reminded of the better parts of All Quiet on the Western Front as I read the book.

The book's only significant weakness is that the story occasionally leaves you wondering what happened . . . and grasping for an answer.If you read on, the answer usually comes within four pages.The purpose seems to be to express the genuine confusion that often accompanies combat.As a narrative device, it didn't quite work as well as it might have.

Why should you want to read this book?I was reluctant at first, but the book received recognition as a 2001 Frankfurt E-Book Award finalist.That attracted my attention, and I felt well rewarded by the story.

This book will be especially valuable to those who have relatives who have served in combat, have been harmed by the experience and don't want to talk about what they faced.
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Product Description
Today we see little public outrage about Bill Clinton's misconduct. With enormous skill, the president and his advisors have constructed a defensive wall built of bricks left over from Watergate: diversion, half-truth, equivocation, and sophistry. It is a wall that has remained unbreached. Until now.

In The Death of Outrage: Bill Clinton and the Assault on American Ideals, former cabinet secretary and bestselling author William J. Bennett dismantles the president's defenses, brick by evasive brick, and analyzes the meaning of the Clinton scandals: why they matter, what the public reaction to them means, and the social and political damage they have already inflicted on America. For, despite Bill Clinton's position in public opinion polls, the most persuasive public arguments made by the president's supporters wither under the clear light of moral reason and common sense. The Death of Outrage exposes the fallacious and demeaning logic that argues our economic well-being is the only important measure of presidential performance; torpedoes the deep but wholly unexamined respect for European sophistication about "private matters"; and explains why the president's troubles are not the result of a "vast, right-wing conspiracy," but are the result of his own doings. The Death of Outrage shows

• How the president's actions, far from being irrelevant to the conduct of his affairs, have severely restricted his ability to govern.
• The unprecedented recklessness of the Clinton administration in everything from influence peddling to sexual misconduct to alarming tactics of intimidation.
• How the president and his defenders have exploited the natural tolerance of the American people -- and made a mockery of the rule of law.
• Why the Clinton scandals -- from the Travel Office, to Filegate, to the Rose Law Firm billing records, to the Lewinsky Affair -- are neither a creation of the tabloid press, nor independent of one another.

Explosive and hard-hitting, powerful in its logic, carefully reasoned in its conclusions, The Death of Outrage is directed at a shameful chapter of American history. It is an urgent call for American citizens to repudiate the deep corruption of Bill Clinton, and the corrupting arguments made in his defense.Amazon.com Review
Don't look for President Clinton's picture in The Book ofVirtues; bestselling author and former Secretary of EducationWilliam J. Bennett considers Bill Clinton uniquely unvirtuous. In thewake of the White House intern sex scandal, Bennett accuses Clinton ofcrimes at least as serious as those committed by Richard Nixon duringthe Watergate imbroglio. Rising above anti-Clinton polemics, TheDeath of Outrage urges the American public--which initiallydisplayed not much more than a collective shrug--to take issue withthe president's private and public conduct. Clinton should be judgedby more than the state of the economy, implores Bennett. The commanderin chief sets the moral tone of the nation; a reckless personal lifeand repeated lying from the bully pulpit call for a heavysanction. The American people should demand nothing less, says theonetime federal drug czar. In each chapter, Bennett lays out therhetorical defenses made on Clinton's behalf (the case against him is"only about sex," harsh judgmentalism has no place in modern society,independent counsel Kenneth Starr is a partisan prosecutor, etc.) andpicks them apart. He may not convince everybody, but this is aneffective conservative brief against Bill Clinton. --John J.Miller ... Read more

Customer Reviews (149)

Peels Away the Illusion and Doubletalk, Revealing a Sadly Bankrupt Presidency
When I initially saw this book, I thought it was probably just another finger-pointing, they said, he said, accusation-filled book about an already disgraced president. In this case, I was dead wrong. William Bennett's book, The Death of Outrage, is a masterful, carefully crafted dismantling of the half-truths, misdirected blame, deception, and outright lies that have protected President Bill Clinton and his administration. Bennett lays out the simple facts and historic accounts for the reader to see and digest. Over and over Bennett presents the facts and then asks the all important question, "Why is there so little outrage over this?"

In his introduction, Bennett admits he is a well-known critic of President Clinton. But he also admits that it hasn't always been that way. According to Bennett, he was impressed with some of then Governor Clinton's public policies and his work on education reform, and even appointed Hillary Clinton to an education commission. But over the years, Bennett says he began changing his opinion of Bill Clinton as more and more evidence of deep corruption mounted. The allegations of suborning perjury, making false and misleading statements under oath, and obstruction of justice, the truth of which were clear and undeniable. Had we returned to the era of Nixon-style politics?

Bennett builds a solid case for public outrage chapter by chapter. Each chapter covers and then uncovers another cloak of Clinton deception - Sex, Character, Politics, Investigations--Ken Starr, Law, and Judgment. Then Bennett adds his own conclusion and what he calls an Afterword, where he quickly brings the reader up to date on matters pertaining to Clinton's legal troubles. Then he adds a very interesting Postscript containing 10 important questions he wants the reader to consider concerning Bill Clinton and his presidency. He presents these as summary questions drawn from each of the six chapters. Together, they read like a checklist and ask the reader to consider whether these are acceptable traits and moral philosophy that describe the kind of person Americans should desire in their leadership. In a nutshell, Bennett summarizes his book into 10 essential questions!

As if what Bennett has already provided isn't enough, he concludes the book with an amazing appendix entitled, "The Nixon and Clinton Administration Scandals: A Comparison." This section in itself could be made into a pamphlet for those who still think that America's economic well-being is the most important measure of presidential performance, and not the honest character and integrity of our leaders.

Bennett's skilled research, analysis and superb writing style make it clear by the end of the book that President Clinton's troubles were not a result of a "vast, right-wing conspiracy," but the result of his own wrong doings.

If after reading what Clinton did to America and our American ideals there is no felt outrage, then what Bennett says is true--our justified outrage has been put to death by our cold, senseless indifference.

As Pertinent Now As It Ever Was
Reading this, some 11 years after the Lewinsky trial, helps to add a certain amount of context to the current (Obama) administration.With the resurgence of characters like Rahm Emanuel, Hillary Clinton, Newt Gingrich, and James Carville to the national political stage ... it is important to review the common political history of these figures and their roles in the current national political culture.

"The Death of Outrage" is as much about the habitual (some would say obsessive ... in Bill Clinton's case) abuse of power and hording of influence, regardless of ethics or morality, by national political figures and their talking heads.This book is a timely and refreshing review of the hypocrisy of those who have historically supported the special counsel law, only to refute it when their party was the subject of investigation.Secretary Bennett is fair in this assessment as well, pointing out the flip-flopping observable by both sides of the aisle depending on whether it was Nixon's impeachment hearings, Reagan's Iran-Contra investigation, or Clinton's abuse of power investigation.

The importance of this book is overwhelming.In an age dominated by agenda driven media (you can target any network news, CNN, Fox, they are all agenda driven), the ability to access information like this is critical to having a mature and balanced opinion on issues that affect our political culture and the leadership of this nation.This book dives into a subject that most citizens don't truly understand ... the special counsel law, and vindicates a man unjustly lambasted by a hostile presidential administration who specialized in the unwarranted subjugation of individuals' public images and the routine character assassination of those who dared question Bill Clinton's honesty and integrity.

For Clinton supporters and apologists, this book is a must read.Secretary Bennett is very fair in his presentation of the facts, and in his assessment of the quality of the individuals involved.Judge Starr was publicly crucified in the media by James Carville, Hillary Clinton, Rahm Emanuel, and others from inside the Clinton compound ... and the more we learn about Starr, the more we see the case as not just being a sex-obsessed tyrant on a rampage.We see a methodical and respected judge who was called in by the Attorney General (Janet Reno) to investigate evidence of criminal acts of perjury and coercion and the abuse of power.We see a man whose investigation was reduced in the media to a sexually explicit witch hunt, as that was the only way to diminish the acts of the sitting president in the public's view to little more than a personal matter.

This book bravely calls into question the tactics of a precise and mechanical machine of political influence and highlights corruption of the most insidious kind ... the kind that alleviates the powerful from responsibility.

Worth Reading
I originally read this book several years ago but thought it was worth reading again in view of the lying and moral assault that is going on today.

It's not bad.Bennett makes some good points if you apply them to the ideal and not the person.I loaned it to my mom who is a die-hard democrat.She thought it was comedy.There's just no accounting for some people.

This book is a little out of date, but I still enjoyed it!!
Bennett supports his arguments with a wealth of facts as opposed to many on both sides of the political spectrum who are basically into name calling.While I agree that many who thought Clinton's sexual escapades were a disgrace to the office of president, they were forgivable.The perjury, subborning of perjury, and obstruction of justice should have caused his removal from office.It appears to me that the only difference between Clinton and Nixon was that the Republican congressional leadership had enough gumption to call Nixon's hand where the Democrats didn't and the opponents didn't have the power to go it alone.And now it seems that many on the left are hoping for Hillary, thinking this is a way to get Bill another eight years.Way to go, Bennett, in spite of your also having human frailties.At least you can make a point and support it without sinking to filthy language like some of the reviewers of this book.

Buy it used for $0.01?It is a waste of your money.
In this era of narrowmindedness and conservative and reactionary clap-trap, this serves as a sterling example that if you fill a book with enough vitriol, someone will buy it.I long for a day when the two nations of the United States (The "right" wing and everybody else) will be healed.Perhaps this is just a resurfacing of an even older wound, namely the Civil War.The Republicans of the South (and elsewhere) continually defending the Confederate battle flag (note: it was only a battle flag, not the CSA national flag) and by proxy segregation and slavery.It is with bitter irony that a Republican freed the slaves, since now they are the party of the elite.

This book is like all the other Clinton bashing books, high on venom, low on truth.If you like that kind of book...well you can buy one for a penny used.For everyone else, save your penny; God knows you will have to save more than that to survive this Bush economy! ... Read more

Product Description
This selection entitled The Executive Collection: Harry Truman, includes the most memorable and noteworthy speeches dictated by the 33 president of the United States---19 speeches total. "The Truman Doctrine", "Surrender of Germany", Surrender of Japan", "Inaugural Address", "Farewell Speech" and many more.Includes an active table of contents.

Excerpt from "Surrender of Germany":
"This is a solemn but a glorious hour. I only wish that Franklin D. Roosevelt had lived to witness this day. General Eisenhower informs me that the forces of Germany have surrendered to the United Nations. The flags of freedom fly over all Europe". ... Read more