Combat:: Twelve Years in the U.S. Senate [Hardcover]

Warren Rudman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In his 12 years as a Republican senator for New Hampshire, 1981 to 1993, Warren B. Rudman demonstrated the effectiveness of pragmatic, moderate politics. While ideologues from both the left and the right bantered back and forth, Rudman held strong in the center, forging coalitions to try to actually get something done. The landmark act for which he's best known, the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings deficit-reduction law, was a classic example of his ability to join opposite sides together in a sense of fiscal responsibility. His story is also one of the changes in the Republican Party. Socially liberal, he eventually decided not to seek office, feeling out of step with the party's rightward swing. In all, a political story from the 1980s and 1990s from a unique elected official of the era--one respected on both sides.

From Publishers Weekly

A former two-term Republican senator from New Hampshire, Rudman, who decided not to run again in 1993, characterizes the Senate as a frustrating arena dominated by partisan politics and logrolling and badly in need of campaign-finance reform. In this feisty political memoir, he defends the 1985 Gramm-Rudman deficit-reduction act, which he co-sponsored, arguing that it held down federal spending for three years even though Congress used various tricks to avoid full compliance with its stipulations for automatic cuts. Rudman, who was vice-chairman of the Senate Select Committee investigating the Iran-contra scandal, opines that the exposure of the covert operations of Oliver North and his cronies will discourage future presidents and their aides from attempting another such adventure. He staunchly defends the nomination of his friend David Souter to the Supreme Court ("I didn't know how David felt about abortion, nor did I want to know"). Former chair of the Senate Ethics Committee, Rudman blames the Democrats for blocking the committee from censuring three Democratic senators?Alan Cranston, Don Riegle, Dennis DeConcini?who allegedly swapped favors with savings-and-loan tycoon Charles Keating, who was convicted of securities fraud. Lastly, Rudman discusses his work as co-chair of the Concord Coalition, which builds grassroots support for a balanced budget. Author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 287 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (April 14, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679441352
• ISBN-13: 978-0679441359
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,139,373 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Needed Wisdom, March 17, 2009

By	Billy J. Mondy "Socrates Mondy" (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Combat (Hardcover)

Warren Rudman provides timeless wisdom which could assist greatly in bringing the United State out of the morass that it finds itself in. The Radical Right does not hold a monopoly on truth and nor does the Looney Left. As it has always been so shall it always be that we find our greatest solutions in the "sensible center". How I wish Rudman had run for President as an Independent.

3.0 out of 5 stars deja vu, February 5, 2002

By	Michael Lewyn (Jacksonville, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Combat:: Twelve Years in the U.S. Senate (Hardcover)

As I write this in 2002, I find Rudman's book a lot more relevant than I did when I read it a year ago. Today, as in the 1980s, our politicians are no longer willing to make the tough choices needed to balance the budget. Rudman's book is a deeply personal story of how he fought against those trends. Rudman also explains how he got his friend David Souter appointed to the Supreme Court (a story that made me wince, since Souter is a bit more liberal than I). Rudman's book is not particularly deep and didn't teach me anything about policy; but certainly I learned a bit more about 1980s politics from it, and I wish he was still in the Senate.

4.0 out of 5 stars Call it as you see it NH politician, July 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Combat:: Twelve Years in the U.S. Senate (Hardcover)

Great book. I was born and raised in New Hampshire only to live in the mid-west now. There are certainly many things I love about living in this part of the country; BUT I tend to miss that NH Yankee Call It As You See It attitude. Talk about a conservative maverick!!!! Great book OH, the [editorial] review states he [was] a "Senator from Massachusetts." Of course we know that's not true.