Meditations of a Militant Moderate: Cool Views on Hot Topics

(Paperback)

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Vital center. Radical middle. Amid the red state/blue state divide, is there now space for an iconoclastic militant moderate In this unusual and remarkably readable collection of short essays on a wide variety of hot-button public issuesrace, affirmative action, surrogate motherhood, diversity, immigration, compensation of 9/11 victims, exclusion of gays from the Boy Scouts and the military, the 2004 election, the rule of law in developing countries, the invasion of Iraq, and many moreYale Law School professor Peter H. Schuck reveals the distinctive sensibility and policy orientation of a militant moderate: pragmatic, reformist, nonideological, empirically minded, and skeptical of many liberal and conservative pieties.

Reviews

Can affirmative action be fixed Did 9/11 victims deserve special compensation When is stereotyping necessary In the age of Michael Moore and Ann Coulter, Peter Schuck shows that the middle, far from being a halfway house, has an intellectual vibrance all its own, and he reminds a hyperventilating culture that in the values debate the greatest strength of allwisdomis in the center. Dip into Meditations of a Militant Moderate and meet one of the best essayists of our time. -- Jonathan Rauch, syndicated columnist and senior writer, National Journal
Peter Schuck demonstrates in most vivid fashion that political moderation need not entail avoiding offense or controversy, much less seeking compromise for its own sake. His essays are provocative and far from consensual. But his approach to public policy is invariably intelligent, thoughtful, practical, and incrementalqualities all too scarce in this era of polarized politics and ideologically driven initiatives at home and abroad. -- Thomas Mann, The Brookings Institution
We live in a Crossfire worldeven if the CNN show Crossfire is gonemost of our public discourse features people at one end of the political spectrum screaming at people at the other end, or people whose job is to spin madly for one party shouting at the spinners on the other side. What about those who are not wingers, or who have no interest in pandering to a political party That is where Peter Schuck comes in. Meditations of a Militant Moderate gives us thoughtful, reasoned, and straightforward analysis and commentary on some of the most important and volatile issues of our time. You don't have to agree with Peter on every issue to appreciate the class with which he handles his arguments and the insights he brings to the social, legal, and political spheres. What a refreshing antidote to the mindless cacophony. -- Norman Ornstein, resident scholar, American Enterprise Institute
Peter Schuck's book is a provocative read in the best sense of the phraseit provokes thinking. Schuck looks at contemporary issues in a way that should make people of all political beliefs want to look at those issues again. -- Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.)

Author Bio

Peter H. Schuck is Simeon E. Baldwin Professor of Law at Yale Law School.