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Absolute Power: The Legacy of Corruption in the Clinton-Reno Justice Department

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After reading "The Secret Life of Bill Clinton," by British newsman Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, and "Unlimited Access: An FBI Agent Inside the Whitehouse," by Gary Aldrich--both of which I have reviewed here--I thought nothing further need be said to demonstrate the depths of depravity to which Bill Clinton's administration could sink. I was wrong!

This book, "Absolute Power," by David Limbaugh carries the saga of corruption, degeneracy and wantonness even further.

Beginning with the debacle of rogue federal agencies' slaughter of nearly 100 men, women and children at Waco, Texas, in February of 1993 under the direction of the federal Department of Justice, the book next details the federal attack on the tobacco industry, supposedly to retrieve taxpayer's money, spent on tobacco's victims by Medicare, Medicaid and the armed forces--ignoring the fact that smokers as a group, because of their early deaths, SAVE the government huge amounts of money they would have cost Social Security--an amount estimated at $29 billion a year by the Congressional Research Service. The Clinton Administration also ignored the fact that those very socialist programs--Medicare and Medicaid, costly as they are, were put in place by a previous Democrat administration: that of Lyndon Johnson, and that it is not a constitutional function of the United States government to provide for, or insure, American citizens' health needs, and that those very programs have increased the costs of medical care to the public in this country exponentially. Also ignored is the fact that government, through its taxation, derives more profit from the sale of cigarettes than do the tobacco companies themselves.

I'm not personally a smoker, but I am a shooter, and it was under the Clinton-Gore Administration that the same deplorable attacks by the government were begun on another completely legal industry--which makes a product protected, in fact, in the Constitution itself--the firearms manufacturers. So far, thankfully, those attacks are being rebuffed by the courts, but not without cost to the industry.

Then Limbaugh details the sorry spectacle of the White House Travel Office firings, in Bill and Hillary Clinton's effort to replace it with some of their Arkansas and Hollywood cronies. A debacle that encouraged William Safire to refer to Hillary Clinton as a "congenital liar."

In a chapter titled, "The Mother of All Scandals," the infamous campaign finance scandal is dealt with, with its sorry tale of illegal foreign campaign contributions, money laundering, and lax security of military secrets.

"With Janet Reno providing legal cover, the Clinton-Gore administration was able to do all this, and more, with impunity," says Limbaugh. This is a comprehensive, case-by-case critique of the Clinton Justice Department, and by extension the Clinton Administration, beginning with the firing of all 93 United States attorneys, simultaneously, when Reno took office--thereby signaling the total politicization of perhaps the most important agency of the executive branch of our government.

With any luck, this will be the last of the books that detail one of the sorriest episodes in U.S. history. We can hope that the amoral Bill Clinton is past history now, and that Hillary will turn out to be a flash-in-the-pan and fail to be re-elected, even in New York, and that we can move on.

I, for one, would like simply to be able to forget them, for they have shamed us.

But, this is an important book. It demonstrates that James Madison, who wrote the Constitution, was right when he said, "In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty is this: You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself."

The great weakness of our system is that it depends upon the wisdom of the people to select leaders who are moral, honest, and who put the good of the nation first. In Bill Clinton, we failed to do that.

Joseph H. Pierre, USN (Ret.)

David Limbaugh's "Absolute Power" is a must have for anyone interested in obtaining the complete picture of Clinton's manipulation, with the help of Janet Reno,of the Justice Department.

Contrary to what I thought when I bought this book, it is not simply an op-ed piece on the Clinton-Reno Justice Department. Instead, it is a thoroughly researched, dispassionate exposition on corruption at the highest level. While Mr. Limbaugh is a known conservative, he nevertheless went to great lengths to be unbiased, and was successful. Thus, those who disagree with his ideology cannot, in good conscience, dismiss him as simply another "right wing radical."

From Waco to Elian Gonzalez, Mr. Limbaugh presents irrefutable evidence that:

-Janet Reno grossly mishandled the Waco incident

-The Justice Department manipulated the law in order to declare war on the tobacco industry, even though there was no basis to do so

-Clinton and Reno did anything and everything within their power to unlawfully discredit Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, who was later vindicated after impeachment

-Campaign finance laws were repeatedly broken by Clinton and Gore, while the Justice Department successfuly quashed any attempts to bring Clinton and Gore to justice

-Clinton and Reno usurped the power of the courts and did not follow protocol in order to return Elian Gonzalez to his father

Mr. Limbaugh takes great care in presenting accuracy, liberally using citations to back up his arguments. Be that as it may, this is a book that cannot be ignored if a complete education on the Clinton presidency is to be obtained, regardless of political leanings.

I received and read David Limbaugh's book today. Those familiar with his column will appreciate David's ability to synthesize and analyze events that have faded from our memory as time passes. Absolute Power is a disturbing tour of the trashing of the dignity of the White House and the complicity of the DOJ. The departing theft of White House property and bartering of pardons should surprise no one after reading David's book. Absolute Power is also a personal motivation to get on my knees and thank God for George W. Bush and John Ashcroft. Character at the top, after all, does matter greatly. Democrats reading this book, especially those in leadership, would do well to drop their defenses and soberly examine their own complicity of silence (or worse).

David spares no detail in this fine piece of work. Add this selection to the growing list of jaw dropping books on the subject of the Clinton machine.

As I stated in my title I thought the reading was a little dry much of the book reads like a court report. I guess I was expecting some sharp-tongued humor that would be expected from David's talk radio conservative icon brother Rush.

If you are intrigued as I am with the issues surrounding the way Clinton abused his powers for political ends or personal gain then this is a must read. If you are looking for Limbaugh wit you will have to look to Rush.

What Limbaugh has the inside story to the Clinton administration? What Limbaugh has an insight into what Janet Reno knew? What Limbaugh has taken an objective view of the past 8 years? I know you're thinking Rush, but you may be surprised to find out it's his brother David and this book may also be a surprise.

When I first started reading this book I thought another book that tells about the scandals and the spin machine from the beltway, and the book does that, but it also brings to light some very interesting information that may have and has been kept from the public until now.

Limbaugh shows how the Administration put itself above the law of the land, what the justice department knew and kept secret, what Janet Reno knew or didn't know as the White House turned information over to her.

You'll read about how Elian Gonzales was a political pawn in a masterful chess game run by Bill Clinton, how the Clinton administration ignored Senate confirmations and tried to shut up and down big tobacco.

You'll read and understand how people's lives were ruined if they disagreed with the Clinton Administration, the cover-ups and other scandals like Monica, Vince Foster and White Water.

Overall this is not a Clinton bashing book but rather a book about what bashing the Clinton's did during the 8 years in power. This Limbaugh may have finally hit the nail on the head.

After 8 long years of corruption in the highest offices of our government, we are at last, provided an analysis of the systematic dismemberment of our laws courtesy of Bill Clinton and his lap dog Janet Reno. Her reappointment for the second term came with strings and she danced to the tune flawlessly. In this very readable book, David Limbaugh provides us with a detailed explanation of her flagrant disregard to uphold our country's laws. He describes how she became a one woman defense team for Bill Clinton bringing the awesome power of the Justice Department to bear on those who would hold him accountable, including her own Independent Council.

I discusse this book with my wife. She asked me how were the Democrats ever able to get away with this stuff. The allegations in the book are so well documented with an exceptional attention to detail that can become, after a while a little burdensome. I however, thoroughly enjoyed it. The completeness of the text while weighing it down adds credibility. If the Clinton/Gore/Reno administration does not open your eyes to the Plato quote "the masses are incurably ignorant", then we deserve what we get.

I expected this book to be another citing and counting of the scandals of the Clinton administration but was surprise to read otherwise in many places. The author actually compliments both Clinton and Reno where they did take stands that require courage and judgment, but these actions were far few in number.

However, it also details in easy to read words just how bad both of them performed and ran from their duties and responsibilities as public servants. Although Reno said she was responsible for Waco she did nothing to make sure all of the truth came out! Although Clinton said from the start the release of FBI Files was a mistake, it was a gross abuse of ineptitude, to say the least. Clinton misuse of the legal process to protect his lies under oath is something no one can be proud of if you have any character at all. To this very day, his actions divide rather than unite the nation.

It was refreshing to see the author vindicate Kenneth Starr's investigation and absolute confirmation that his office never leaked anything. Today, the Democrats who supported such lying under oath and obstruction of justice are wondering why we are out power in Washington and many states. This book will explain why when people and a political party runs away from trustworthiness and creditability the smart and honest voters eventually run away from them.

The writer points out the inescapable conclusion that Clinton and Reno hid behind either intentional gross incompetence or deliberate misapplication of the laws and constitution. Either way, neither deserve commendation and both should not be embraced as good models of being honored with the title of public servants. Even the term professional lawyers are no longer applicable to them. Sadly, they may not even have the ability to live up to the supreme compliment of all Americans as common citizens.

I highly recommend this book for those in the media who believe in blind government by the incapable. After reading it, you will never think proudly of Reno or Clinton again, and that is a dispirited legacy for our children, party and country.

This should be required reading for anyone who is concerned with corruption in government. This is not a book just for conservatives. Liberals and moderates should take no offense at this scathing review of the Clinton/Reno Justice Department. Anyone interested in good government needs to take time to review the facts that are known and decide for themselves if they are content with what has happened over the last eight years.

Mr. Limbaugh has established himself as tireless researcher, a clear and critical thinker and someone who expects honesty and integrity in his government. This is not nor should not be a conservative or liberal position.

I highly recommend this book. It will make you think and will, in all likelihood, raise your expectations of those who make and enforce our laws.

Author David Limbaugh chose a great title for this worthy book. Lord Acton's 1887 statement proves true again. Rather than simply a rehash of the sins of Bill Clinton by another member of the "vast right-wing conspiracy," this is a fresh perspective of the Clinton years, focusing on the Reno Justice Dept. It's enough to make one mad all over again. It's one thing to have the various scandals dribbled out one-by-one over two presidential terms, but to read about them over the course of a few hours shows the magnitude of the corruption.

Absolute Power focuses Limbaugh's laudable research talents on the following Clinton/Reno debacles: Waco; the tobacco wars; Billy Dale and Travelgate; the Ken Starr smear campaign; Linda Tripp trashing; the perversion of executive privilege; campaign finance scandals; the Bill Lann Lee recess appointment; clemency for terrorists; and Elian Gonzalez. He touches on Zippergate surprisingly little. He doesn't need to. Clinton's legacy isn't his dalliances with Monica Lewinsky in the Oral Office; it's a severe degradation of constitutional rights.

Limbaugh shows clearly that in this administration, the ends justified the means. America suffered eight years of creative lawyering--the price we paid for installing two unethical lawyers in the White House. The Reno Injustice Dept. proved time and again it was willing to eat its own, including anyone unwilling to march in lockstep with Clinton's political gamesmanship. The prime example was Ken Starr and the Office of the Independent Counsel--an extension of her own department. She tried to thwart his investigation at every turn.

On smoking, Limbaugh will have you rethinking the unprecedented Clinton/Reno attack on the tobacco industry, which was purportedly unleashed to save lives and money. He reveals one obstacle the Justice Dept. had to overcome: the "ghoul defense." A Harvard study "concluded that since smokers die prematurely they save the federal government billion[s] each year in health care costs  smoking has apparently brought financial gain to both the federal and state governments, especially when tobacco taxes are taken into account  smokers do not appear to currently impose net financial costs on the rest of society." Where tobacco could be treated so, liquor, hamburgers, and chocolate could soon follow.

An interesting point he makes on the allegation by Clinton apologists that everyone cheats on campaign finance is: "While Democrats insisted Republicans were equally guilty of fund-raising abuses, the Democrats ultimately were forced to return some million[s]--more than thirty times the amount returned by Republicans."

Too many non-fiction books are authored by upper-crust-college graduates flaunting their language skills with gobs of ten-dollar words. The result can be tedious reading. Not so with Limbaugh and Absolute Power. This is clear, concise writing that virtually anyone can get through. It's easy to believe that if all his allegations are true, somebody would have done something about it; which is exactly his point: Reno, the one responsible for doing something, did nothing but continually run interference for Clinton. This is a tremendous historical record. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.