Pledging Allegiance: The Last Campaign of the Cold War

by Sidney Blumenthal

Shows how the end of the cold war has affected American politics, and discusses the issues in the 1988 presidential campaign

Genres: American History, Nonfiction

386 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Astute discussion of 1988 election and trends in American politics dating back to World War II. Obviously, given Blumenthal's political biases, some of his interpretations and framings have to be taken with a grain of salt. His overarching argument and theme that politicians sometimes focus on the optics of politics rather than substantive issues and that politicians are not fully equipped to identify and grapple with historical shifts will appear self-evident to anyone who you know... follows current events. Still, an interesting read that grew more compelling as I read more. Actually, I found the book to be on the whole more interesting and insightful than Richard Ben Kramer's What It Takes.