is it reasonable to draw similarities between the programs of FDR, JFK, and Johnson and what were smilarites between the new frontire of kennedy and johnsons great society?
Answer Hello, Stev: Eric Alterman’s new book, “When Presidents Lie: A History of Official Deception and Its Consequences,” shows that Nixon is no exception when it comes to presidential untruthfulness. Alterman is interested specifically in lies pertaining to the conduct of foreign policy and focuses his study on four presidents: Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Ronald Reagan. (Nixon is excluded, Alterman explains, because the consequences of his deceptions have already been exhaustively examined. So are Bill Clinton’s, although Alterman acknowledges that Clinton’s Monica-related deceptions are “the best publicized of presidential lying in recent times.”) In working my way through Alterman’s study, I noted how helpful When Presidents Lie would be for anyone who seeks to work in, or around, the Oval Office. This book is essential reading not only for insiders but for outsiders as well because it makes a strong case that the end result of major deceptions is al
