|
The Emperor's New Clothes: Exposing the Truth from Watergate to 9/11
|
| List Price: | $27.95 |
| Price: | $18.45 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details |
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com
51 new or used available from $8.95
Average customer review:
Product Description
Richard Ben-Veniste hates being lied to. He especially hates it when the American people are lied to. Widely respected as a trial lawyer, Ben-Veniste delivers a fascinating insider’s tale in his memoir of a career spent fighting hypocrisy and seeking accountability among the highest ranks of government.
A legal wunderkind, Ben-Veniste was hired at age thirty by Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox to investigate the Watergate cover-up. As chief of the Watergate Task Force at the time of the infamous “Saturday Night Massacre,” the author played an important role in prosecuting the case and revealed the extent of Richard Nixon’s involvement with his top lieutenants in a conspiracy to obstruct justice and commit perjury.
Prior to Watergate, Ben-Veniste had investigated and prosecuted corruption in the office of Speaker of the House John W. McCormack. In 1980 the author served as a defense lawyer in the controversial Abscam case, delving into a flawed sting operation that pushed the boundaries of legality and tested due process of law. In the Senate Whitewater hearings, Ben-Veniste helped expose the partisan agenda behind the effort to take down President Clinton. The author gained further national prominence as a member of the 9/11 Commission, in which his artful questioning of Condoleeza Rice revealed how ill-prepared the Bush Administration had been in the weeks leading up to 9/11.
A lifelong devotee to the principles of an open democracy, the author argues that the pursuit of truth is not one that should depend on party affiliations—that we should all seek to be partisans for the truth. Ben-Veniste recounts a remarkable career spent at the center of the most poignant public investigations of the last half century, fighting the abuse of power by those who wielded it most.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #89636 in Books
- Published on: 2009-05-26
- Released on: 2009-05-26
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 1.20" h x 6.50" w x 9.75" l, 1.34 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 352 pages
Features
- ISBN13: 9780312357962
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
Editorial Reviews
From The Washington Post
From The Washington Post's Book World/washingtonpost.com Reviewed by Isaac Chotiner The Washington memoir tends to fall into one of two categories. The first consists of tales of harmony and bipartisanship; such books teem with stories of "coming together" and friendships that "reach across the aisle." Just think of Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill sitting down in the Oval Office after a long day and -- party labels be damned -- enjoying the well-stocked White House liquor cabinet. The second type of memoir describes a very different Capital, one full of nefariousness and double-dealing, not to mention sleazy presidents and corrupt legislators. This narrative may win the prize for verisimilitude, but it generally has one debilitating feature: The author, or memoirist, is always the one man (or woman) with any common sense, the lone Mr. Smith speaking truth to power and emerging victorious. If only. Richard Ben-Veniste's reminiscences fit into the latter category. A New York City native, Ben-Veniste attended law school at Columbia before becoming a federal prosecutor in 1968. He soon found himself on the Watergate Task Force, where he served as head of prosecution. The five chapters of his new book cover five different controversies or scandals that he has helped investigate: Watergate, Whitewater, Abscam, a now-forgotten Congressional scandal and the attacks of 9/11 (he served on the National Commission). It is this last effort that takes up the most space: Ben-Veniste confronts Condoleezza Rice about the infamous Presidential Daily Brief of August 6, 2001 (the one entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.") and goes toe-to-toe with the White House over whether President Bush will testify. There is not much new here, although Ben-Veniste does make an interesting observation: "Perhaps because of the ridicule that followed [Bush's] insistence that he be interviewed in tandem with Cheney, he answered virtually all the questions himself . . . Later on I noted that Cheney rather than Bush was the beneficiary of the joint interview." But do not expect much insight on how power is actually wielded in Washington. Instead, the reader is fed page after page of Ben-Veniste heaping praise on . . . Ben-Veniste. One minute he is being approached by random, grateful citizens, and the next he is telling us that he is nothing more than a humble "partisan for the truth." A little later, he speaks of his reputation as "a streetwise kid who was not intimidated." I think we will be the judge of that. Pretty soon Tom Daschle is calling for his help because only he -- Ben-Veniste -- asks the tough questions. The 9/11 Commission transcripts he reprints even note spectators applauding his courage. Ben-Veniste has indeed done some good work during his time in Washington, but next time let's hear about it from a more neutral observer.
Copyright 2009, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.
Review
“Richard Ben-Veniste has played a critical role in exposing the most important national scandals of our time. His candid and compelling account of five of the most consequential investigations in recent history makes an invaluable contribution to our understanding.”—Senator Tom Daschle, author of Critical
“Richard Ben-Veniste is a very special lawyer. He has written a very special book. You should read it. You will be palpably richer for having done so.”—F. Lee Bailey, author of When the Husband Is the Suspect
“Super lawyer Richard Ben-Veniste has played a major role in the most interesting and challenging scandals in Washington over the last forty years.… I’ve been trying to get the real story from him for years—and here it is!”—Terry McAuliffe, author of What a Party!
“Richard Ben-Veniste is as tough and as smart as they come. In this new book he inspires us with his commitment to justice, fairness, and the truth.”—Paul Begala, author of Third Term
“Ben-Veniste punches like a heavyweight, attacking hubris and hypocrisy in a career that spans four decades of major scandals. A knockout!”—Roger Cossack, ESPN legal analyst
“Richard Ben-Veniste’s fascinating narrative highlights his pursuit of the bad guys through the legal system and his service to the American public and the Constitution.”—Daniel Schorr, National Public Radio, and author of Come to Think of It
“Richard Ben-Veniste has written a compelling book that recounts his five-decade pursuit of truth and transparency from successive American administrations.”—Valerie Plame Wilson and former U.S. ambassador Joseph C. Wilson
“Reading Richard Ben-Veniste’s book gave me a sense of eavesdropping on the history of the late twentieth century and the new millennium with all of its mendacity, nobility, and folly. Ben-Veniste is that rare attorney who can combine first-rate legal acumen with riveting storytelling.”—Eric Dezenhall, CEO of Dezenhall Resources and author of Damage Control
“Richard Ben-Veniste dismantles and exposes with rapier-like precision the mechanics of disinformation, once considered the monopoly of totalitarian societies.”—Arnaud de Borchgrave, director of the Transnational Threats Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies
“Richard Ben-Veniste has been at the center of many of Washington’'s most historic brawls. His entertaining history is told truly from inside the eye of the storm.”—Jane Mayer, author of The Dark Side
“In the small world of towering giants of the legal profession who could do it all—investigate exhaustively, handle the written and spoken word at the highest levels, and prowl the courtroom with skill, cunning, and an ineluctable quest for truth…Richard Ben-Veniste is a very special lawyer. He has written a very special book. You should read it. You will be palpably richer for having done so.”—F. Lee Bailey
“Richard Ben-Veniste is one of the most distinguished lawyers in the United States. His leading roles in the Watergate, Whitewater, Abscam, and 9/11 Commission investigations showed him to be both a highly effective investigator and a guardian of civil liberties.”—Bob Woodward, author of The War Within
About the Author
Richard Ben-Veniste is a partner in the international law firm Mayer Brown LLP. Among his many distinctions, he served as a member of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission, as Minority Chief Counsel for the Senate Whitewater Committee, as Chief of the Watergate Task Force of the Watergate Special Prosecutor’s Office, and as Chief of the Special Prosecutions Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and younger daughter.
Customer Reviews
Exposure
Richard Ben-Veniste's take on several high profile national proceedings in which he, a Democrat and a legal advocate, played a significant role. While his thoughts on the 9/11 Commission's work will understandably elicit the most attention, I personally found the author's history of Speaker John McCormack's gentle fall from power also to be quite interesting.
A massive ego is on display throughout this book, along with the added shortcoming of an often less than graceful writing style. (Why do so many trial lawyer/authors feel compelled to quote verbatim hearing transcripts so often and at length? Why do they think they need to use curse words to show they are street wise and tough?)
In terms of similar writing efforts, I will say Mr. Ben-Veniste's book is superior to Robert Bennett's Washington, D.C. legal memoir "In the Ring". (This is faint praise.)
While "The Emperor's New Clothes" will add to the record, readers seeking a balanced view of some of the more significant national political controversies and scandals of our time will need to look elsewhere.
The Emperor's New Clothes: Exposing the Truth from Watergate to 9/11
As the author's trial partner in the Watergate case and tapes hearing, I very much enjoyed his lucid, insightful and accurate telling of that chapter of American history. It brought back a lot of wonderful memories. Even better for me was getting the inside story on the other important chapters of history where Richard also played a significant role. You'll learn from this book--and enjoy it while you are. Rick's personality shines through and will make you smile.
The Emperor was Naked
As an avid pursuer of the truth, I looked forward to reading The Emperor's New Clothes-Exposing the Truth from Watergate to 9/11, which is about some of the most dramatic political dramas of the past forty years from the prospective of one of the nation's most famous attorneys, Richard Ben-Veniste. I was particularly interested in well-known Democratic Party champion Ben-Veniste's in the trenches view of the 9/11 Commission's work and conclusions. I was not disappointed
Ben-Veniste's truly brilliant and witty legal mind provided insight to the hardball machinations of Washington politics often called the "Potomac Two-Step." The theme that ran through the book that struck the biggest cord with me was the almost endemic arrogance, hypocrisy and hubris of our elected officials and their appointed minions.
The Nixon White House's obvious obstruction of justice and Mr. Nixon's almost ludicrous body-checks in the interest of "national security" to the Watergate probes was most disheartening, but old news. However, Mr. Ben-Veniste's firsthand anecdotes about the personal integrities of Archibald Cox and Leon Jaworski restored my faith in America's patriots.
I admit I became angry reading about the Bush White House's obvious stonewalling the acknowledgment of the existence and subsequent release to the 9/11 Commission of the June 9, 2001, CIA Presidential Daily Brief (PDB) memo, which warned of a possible Al Qaeda attack by airplane on the US homeland. What was the real eye opener was that this stonewalling was not done in the "interest of national security," but to cover-up the fact that the Administration had been asleep at the wheel.
Also, the author reported how, well before 9/11, Attorney General John Ashcroft scolded the Acting FBI Director trying to brief him about terror threats, that he (Ashcroft) "he was tired hearing about terrorism." To say the least, it demonstrated the arrogance of the man, who was then the country's chief law enforcement officer. By the same token, it was heartening to see how the Commission co-chairs, Tom Keane and Lee Hamilton came across the political aisle - so to speak - to jointly uphold the integrity of the inquiry process.
I fully appreciated the author's use of actual transcripts to present irrefutable evidence of his recollections and some of the witnesses' mendacity. Otherwise, some right-wing spin-doctor would surely accuse Ben-Veniste of being a "Democratic Hack," who was misreporting the record as they to former national security director, Richard Clarke, when he tried to tell the truth.
All in all, the book was a fair and for the most part unbiased account of some of this country's most recent struggles with our maintaining our moral compass and protecting our national integrity.
