From Publishers Weekly
Danforth, a Missouri Republican as well as a lawyer and Episcopal minister, tended to avoid nasty partisan politics during his three terms in the U.S. Senate (with the notable exception of his defense of his protégé Clarence Thomas during U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings). After voluntarily retiring from the Senate in 1995, Danforth accepted appointments by White House Republicans, including ambassador to the United Nations and envoy for peace in Sudan. But the partisanship of President George W. Bush, a variety of other Republicans and quite a few Democrats has now led Danforth to urge political rivals to pull together to strengthen the United States, so the nation can in turn promote world peace. Danforth oozes sincerity and good sense as he excoriates "Christian conservatives" (naming James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Ralph Reed and Pat Robertson, among others) for corrupting religious doctrine on reproduction and marriage and inappropriately inserting it in government. Conceding that he's an imperfect human being who sometimes failed as a student, husband, father, lawyer, minister and senator, Danforth comes across as a welcome paragon of virtue.
(Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From AudioFile
Senator Danforth's dry tome is not well suited for audio, especially given his plodding delivery. It is read, slowly, in his funereal speaking voice, and the net effect will be squirming in most seats, as if one is attending an overly long sermon. What it takes Danforth eight CDs to ask and answer is, at heart, "why can't we all just get along?" His strong advocacy of moderation in politics and political discourse, while a worthy goal, is laid out in far too much detail. The author is sincere and his message reasonable, but a professional narrator might have improved the audio experience. However, even with a better voice, this book might not work in audio form. T.F. 2007 Audies Award Finalist © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
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