"[Posner] has achieved in this book...what I thought was virtually
impossible--an interesting book on the whole sorry, over-reported,
bitterly partisan, unseemly affair."--John Linsenmeyer "Greenwich
Time "
"An Affair of State" is a thoughtful, scholarly and authoritative
account of the impeachment process and its associated issues. This
is not surprising when the author proves to be the Chief Judge for
the Seventh Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, with a
distinguished list of publications in legal and moral theory...This
is an interesting and intellectually challenging book which should
be read by everyone interested in the impeachment of President
Clinton.--Robert Williams "Contemporary Review "
"An Affair of State" is an impressive compilation of the facts and
the opinions of one of our nations foremost jurists...[Posner's]
description, dissection and reaction to what went right, and mostly
what went wrong, in the impeachment process contrasts with the
emotional hyperboles that marked much of the impeachment debate.
"An Affair of State" is worth the time for anyone who still has an
interest in thinking and talking intelligently about this
remarkable episode in American history.--Michael R. Lufrano
"Chicago Tribune "
"An Affair of State" is likely to become the work to which future
historians will turn first in seeking a reliable contemporaneous
explanation of what the impeachment scandal was all about. Not only
does Posner sort out the issues with precision, but the highly
modulated distinctions and qualifications he offers along the way
accomplish the difficult feat of elucidating a subject that has
already unleashed a cataract of less than edifying ink. "An Affair
of State" also reveals once again what a broad and bristling
intelligence Posner possesses, at once subtle and direct,
iconoclastic and full of high good humor.--Gabriel Schoenfeld
"Commentary "
"An Affair of State" offers writing that approaches the
sublime...[It] is a serious, well-reasoned, scholarly account of
the events of the past two years...But this is not dry, textbook
stuff. Posner is tough on all the players and does not mince words.
In clear, elegant prose he walks us through complicated matters to
the conclusion that the impeachment proceeding failed to meet
minimum standards of legal justice.--Kathleen Daley "Star-Ledger
"
A bravura performance by United States Circuit Court Judge Richard
A. Posner. He deftly examines the endless constitutional, political
and social angles of President William Jefferson Clinton's
impeachment ordeal...["An Affair of State" is a] first-rate
dissection of Mr. Clinton's impeachment drama flush with
long-headed prudential wisdom and insights.--Bruce Fein "Washington
Times "
A scholarly examination of the process of impeachment and what that
process means...[Posner] is usually right on target as he skewers
the assortment of academics who came to Clinton's defense...[He] is
no less sparing of the Republicans who engineered the impeachment,
and of Kenneth Starr, whose evidence serves as the traction grit
for the process. Indeed, he attacks with elegant savagery the
independent counsel statute and argues that it be allowed to
lapse.--R. K. Baker "The Times "
A timely, weighty, and erudite analysis of the political, legal,
constitutional, and cultural significance of the events culminating
in the Clinton impeachment. Learned and practical, this book will
provoke reflection in any that care about the character of American
government at the 20th-century's end...Above all for Posner, at a
time of peace, prosperity, and strength, the Clinton affair
presents an 'edifying political drama.' Highly recommended.--T.
Fackler "Choice "
A triumph of impartial analysis and cool intelligence...[Posner]
lays out in plain language exactly what legal issues were at stake
and why the assorted motives of those involved ensured that they
did not get an honest discussion.--Adam Kirsch "Boston Phoenix
"
Another look at the 42nd President's extramarital dalliances,
Posner's work is fortunately written from the vantage point of a
senior jurist on the federal bench who also teaches law...An
excellent addition to history and political science
collections.--Philip Young Blue "Library Journal "
Based on public sources (including supplemental material submitted
to Congress with the Starr Report), Posner offers analysis of a
wide range of legal, moral, political, and institutional
issues...He sheds useful light: for example, on legal definitions
of 'perjury' and 'obstruction of justice' and the difficulty in
defining just what offenses are 'impeachable.--Mary Carroll
"Booklist "
In so many ways, [Posner] is a perfect man for the task [of
analyzing the Clinton-Lewinsky affair], and this book doesn't
disappoint...His most valuable contribution is legal. In a way only
good judges can do, he manages both to portray the ambiguity of
constitutional law--and few areas are as ambiguous as the
constitutional criteria for impeachment--and yet not shy away from
judgement about what actually happened and what to make of
it...Posner deftly takes us through [the] constitutional and
political mazes...[and] shows that there actually is a final answer
to the question of what perjury and obstruction of justice are, and
at least some large common ground as to what might be the
constitutional grounds for impeachment.--Andrew Sullivan "New York
Times Book Review "
Like a refreshing balm for the mind and spirit comes Richard
Posner's "An Affair of State". It is not just a lucid, dignified
analysis of this tangled mess from one of the country's leading
legal scholars. It is a testament to the capacity of the human mind
to soar above even the most emotionally charged and sordid events
and discover something of beauty and clarity...What Mr. Posner has
given us is a framework for rational debate.--James B. Stewart "New
York Observer "
Of [the Clinton-Lewinsky] analyses, the most insightful is "An
Affair of State".--David Kusnet "Baltimore Sun "
Posner does not take sides of gratuitous potshots; he identifies
all of the actors' weaknesses and strengths. As one expects from a
senior jurist, his approach is studied, judicious, yet captivating.
With scholarly detachment, he preserves the case, lest the passage
of time or revisionism taint it. Posner's account is a welcome
departure from the treatment mainstream and fringe media have given
the impeachment. He offers a sound tutorial in what actually
occurred, buttressed be even-handed insights about key facts' legal
and political significance.--Maj, Joseph R. Perlak "Military Review
"
Posner has written a scholarly tome that argues, convincingly, that
Clinton indeed could have been convicted of perjury and obstruction
of justice.--Helen Colwell Adams "Lancaster Sunday News "
Posner has written the most thoughtful and evenhanded analysis to
date of the legal and political crisis...With a candor and a biting
wit that may jar those who like their federal judges dull and
decorous, Judge Posner cuts through the sometimes priggish
moralizing of conservative Republicans as well as the partisan cant
of liberal Democrats to expose 'the failure of the judiciary, the
political establishment, the Congress, the legal profession, and
the academic community to cope with a novel challenge'...His
analysis of the major points in controversy will be edifying to
anyone with an open mind.--Stuart Taylor Jr. "New York Law Journal
"
Posner is best known for his economic analyses of law and his
philosophical explorations of judicial pragmatism, but with "An
Affair of State" he may be making yet another niche for himself as
a quasi-political commentator. Reading him on Clinton is like
drinking a perfectly chilled martini: The book is cold and clear
and refreshingly biting...Posner is especially astute on the
meaning (really the lack of meaning) in Clinton's sexual dalliance
with Monica Lewinsky, the single flaring match that set fire to an
entire political-media forest.--Paul Reidinger "ABA Journal "
Posner shows that, despite its lurid and shameful origins, the
[Clinton-Lewinsky] episode raised questions of law and morality
that are profoundly important to the direction of the country and
to our sense of the American political order. His analysis
transforms the impeachment into an event of abiding significance.
Mr. Posner works with unusual care through each of the moral and
legal questions of the impeachment process. He considers all sides
and possible interpretations of each event. But he does not
hesitate to hand down strong judgements.--George L. Priest "Wall
Street Journal "
Posner's great asset is his intellectual honesty. He pierces the
gaseous clouds of Clinton's defense to make compelling arguments
that the president committed perjury and obstructed justice. He
absolves Starr of obsessive prurience and vindicates the media's
reporting of the case. He ridicules the Senate's performance, as
well as the chief justice's robes. But Posner also concludes that
the office of independent counsel has died a well-deserved death,
that the Supreme Court blew the Paula Jones case, and that Starr
got carried away by prosecutorial excess. He skewers the doomsayers
of the moralistic Right for wringing their hands over what, to
Posner, is still a vibrant republic.--John Aloysius Farrell "Boston
Globe "
Richard Posner has written a remarkably even-tempered and
reasonable book about the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, a
welcome contrast to the overheated rhetoric and raw emotions
generated by the event itself. If you were to read only one book
about the Lewinsky scandal--and really, who would want to read more
than one?--this is probably the one to choose. It does not feature
the salacious details or fiery calls to arms of the early scandal
books, but it does offer a sober second look at the misconduct and
cover-up that led to only the second presidential impeachment in
American history.--Keith E. Whittington "Reason "
Richard Posner's "An Affair of State" will hardly be welcomed by
President Clinton's enemies; his friends will like it even less.
Obviously, then, this book demands our attention...Precision,
critical analysis, and devastating wit are the hallmarks of
[Posner's] writings.--Stanley Kutler "Times Higher Education
Supplement "
Unlike the unholy mess it dissects and untangles, "An Affair of
State" is a cool little gemstone of logic and reason, a rational
antidote to partisan excess, and a short, elegant guide for the
perplexed. Among the first of what will be many books to look back
at the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, it should be the touchstone
against which all others are measured, having no evident bias
except toward clarity. Richard Posner does not seem to like most of
the people described in this book, much less to share their
agendas. One cannot deduce here which party he backs, whom he voted
for in recent elections, or whose positions he tends to endorse.
This is the strength of his book, and its claim to
authority.--Noemie Emery "National Review "
We fortunately have a distinguished jurist's opinion in "An Affair
of State" which amounts to a retrial of the president with Posner
on the bench. One could scarcely imagine a more fitting
judge...[Posner] is possessed of one of the most synoptic and
probing intellects in the country, or the world. That he does not
flinch from raining scorn on the Supreme Court and even on the
chief justice (to whom Posner is nominally an underling) suggests
the sharpness of mind, independence of spirit and biting wit that
make his book an intellectual feast. At last, something good has
come of the Clinton-Lewinsky-Jones-Starr affair.--Jonathan Raugh
"Washington Post "
[Posner's] analysis of the political crisis surrounding disclosure
of President Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky is the most
trenchant and illuminating yet. His precision about constitutional
law and about definitions of perjury, subornation of it and
obstruction of justice gives his narrative the tension of a
thriller. And his judgments about key players--Clinton, Kenneth
Starr, Congressional leaders, intellectual and academic defenders
of the president, all the lawyers involved, the Supreme Court (for
letting the Paula Jones lawsuit proceed with Clinton in
office)--are scathing, unsparing, elegant and witty.
By far the most legally sophisticated account of the
Clinton-Lewinsky scandal yet published, Posner's book brings
scholarly rigor to a saga so far dominated by journalistic
accounts...He brandishes acumen, wit and a practical and
theoretical understanding of the legal and constitutional issues
involved...and generally exhibits an ability to expose the
arguments generated by Republicans, Democrats, the press and
Starr's office as inconsistent, politically motivated or simply
fallacious...[A] welcome analysis of the constitutional, moral,
philosophical, and political questions the case raised.
actually occurred, buttressed be even-handed insights about key
facts' legal and political significance.
and possible interpretations of each event. But he does not
hesitate to hand down strong judgements.
attention...Precision, critical analysis, and devastating wit are
the hallmarks of [Posner's] writings.
be the constitutional grounds for impeachment.
history and political science collections.
in Clinton's sexual dalliance with Monica Lewinsky, the single
flaring match that set fire to an entire political-media
forest.
interested in the impeachment of President Clinton.
is the strength of his book, and its claim to authority.
light: for example, on legal definitions of 'perjury' and
'obstruction of justice' and the difficulty in defining just what
offenses are 'impeachable.
mess, and the majority of those involved proved themselves to often
be fools, knaves, and even cowards...An invaluable and subtle
judgement not only of Clinton, but of our society and those who
rule us.
nominally an underling) suggests the sharpness of mind,
independence of spirit and biting wit that make his book an
intellectual feast. At last, something good has come of the
Clinton-Lewinsky-Jones-Starr affair.
of the president, all the lawyers involved, the Supreme Court (for
letting the Paula Jones lawsuit proceed with Clinton in
office)--are scathing, unsparing, elegant and witty.
ordeal...["An Affair of State" is a] first-rate dissection of Mr.
Clinton's impeachment drama flush with long-headed prudential
wisdom and insights.
politically motivated or simply fallacious...[A] welcome analysis
of the constitutional, moral, philosophical, and political
questions the case raised.
president's are both readily proven and regularly punished in the
criminal courts is an important corrective to the legal confusions
fostered by the impeachment debates.
profession, and the academic community to cope with a novel
challenge'...His analysis of the major points in controversy will
be edifying to anyone with an open mind.
scandal books, but it does offer a sober second look at the
misconduct and cover-up that led to only the second presidential
impeachment in American history.
still has an interest in thinking and talking intelligently about
this remarkable episode in American history.
"ÝPosner¨ has achieved in this book...what I thought was virtually
impossible--an interesting book on the whole sorry, over-reported,
bitterly partisan, unseemly affair." -- John Linsenmeyer "Greenwich
Time"
ÝPosner's¨ analysis of the political crisis surrounding disclosure
of President Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky is the most
trenchant and illuminating yet. His precision about constitutional
law and about definitions of perjury, subornation of it and
obstruction of justice gives his narrative the tension of a
thriller. And his judgments about key players--Clinton, Kenneth
Starr, Congressional leaders, intellectual and academic defenders
of the president, all the lawyers involved, the Supreme Court (for
letting the Paula Jones lawsuit proceed with Clinton in
office)--are scathing, unsparing, elegant and witty.
In so many ways, ÝPosner¨ is a perfect man for the task Ýof
analyzing the Clinton-Lewinsky affair¨, and this book doesn't
disappoint...His most valuable contribution is legal. In a way only
good judges can do, he manages both to portray the ambiguity of
constitutional law--and few areas are as ambiguous as the
constitutional criteria for impeachment--and yet not shy away from
judgement about what actually happened and what to make of
it...Posner deftly takes us through Ýthe¨ constitutional and
political mazes...Ýand¨ shows that there actually is a final answer
to the question of what perjury and obstruction of justice are, and
at least some large common ground as to what might be the
constitutional grounds for impeachment. -- Andrew Sullivan "New
York Times Book Review"
Of Ýthe Clinton-Lewinsky¨ analyses, the most insightful is "An
Affair of State." -- David Kusnet "Baltimore Sun"
Posner presents an investigation into "l'affaire Lewinsky" that is
both scholarly and approachable. His findings? We may have made
both too much and too little of the whole sordid mess, and the
majority of those involved proved themselves to often be fools,
knaves, and even cowards...An invaluable and subtle judgement not
only of Clinton, but of our society and those who rule us.
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