Len Colodny

5646. Silent Coup The Removal of a President, by Len Colodny and Robert Gettlin (read 2 Sep 2019) After reading J. Anthony Lukas's good book on Watergate and having all the facts concerning it again in mind, I wondered if I should read this 1991 book since the title suggested it was a right-wing tract possibly defending Nixon, but I am glad I decided to read it. It does try to defend Nixon but seeks to put the blame for his giving up the presidency on John Dean and Alexander haig. It says Dean approved the burglarizing of the Democratic headquarters on June 17, 1972, but sought to pin the approval on others, especially John Mitchell. Supposedly Dean approved the stupid burglary because he thought he would find out something in regard to a matter Dean was personally involved in . And the book says Alexander Haig seeking to learn things which the Pentagon wanted to affect Nixon's actions that some in the Pentagon disapproved of. The book builds a pretty good case against Haig, even though Nixon always defended Haig--the book shows much questionable sneaky behavior by Haig. It is all fascinating. Much of the argument the authors make relies on books written by various persons affected by Watergate--which makes me realize that though I have read a lot of books about Watergate there are many more than I will ever be able to read. Brian Lamb interviewed the authors of this book in 1991 and that interview is on line at

://www.booknotes.org/Watch/20346-1/Len-Colodny… (meer)

The Forty Years War examines the rise of the likes of Al Haig, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld and their impact on American Foreign policy since the Nixon administration. While one wouldn't expect cabinet secretaries and there underlings to always agree with the president, it was surprising to see how often they worked against the policies of the president. The neocons also spent considerable effort in sabotoging each other. They all seemed more interested in advancing their own power and influence than working for the good of the country.… (meer)