'The Age of Reagan'

Mon, 05/19/2008 - 10:36 — Bibliofuture

Book review of: THE AGE OF REAGAN A History, 1974-2008.

In the New York Times:

Strange to think that Sean Wilentz, a professor of history at Princeton University, would embrace Ronald Reagan as the historic alpha dog of postmodern American politics. For starters, Wilentz was trained as a Jacksonian-era scholar; the 20th and 21st centuries aren’t his bailiwicks. Then, back in 1998, Wilentz testified before the House Judiciary Committee that the impeachment of Bill Clinton was an abomination. He also endorsed Al Gore in 2000 and Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2008. Considered by some the heir apparent to Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Wilentz is perceived more as an erudite spokesman for the Democratic Party than as a judicious analyst of the Republican agenda. Yet in “The Age of Reagan” — a smart and accessible overview of the long shadow cast by our 40th president — Wilentz largely abandons partisanship in favor of professionalism. Thus, the supposedly inflexible Reagan emerges here as the pragmatic statesman who greatly reduced the world’s nuclear stockpiles.

Full review here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/books/review/Brinkley-t.html?ref=books