Mending the Government

Earlier this evening I finished reading John W. Dean's new book Broken Government. Of all the recent books recently released by former government officials this book and Al Gore's Assault on Reason are two of the most important. Over the coming days I plan to write more about Broken Government. I will do this in the form of vignettes. A fuller review must await another time, and possibly another place.

John Dean advocates a surprisingly simple solution for the broken government we have experienced for the last several years: cease electing Republicans. Dean states that the Republican Party of today is a party he no longer recognizes. In four chapters and two appendices, Mr. Dean examines the functioning of all three branches of the federal government under Republican rule. He finds said government not only wanting but, in many respects, dangerous. He finds the current form of far-right Republicanism with its anti-government mindset to be incapable of running the government. He cites particularly the failure of the technique of government shut-downs.

In this book John Dean has performed a tremendous public service. Both in laying out the recent history of the federal government and a proposed solution, he has provided a reason for hope amidst despair, a plan amidst chaos. For this he is to be commended and congratulated.