What do You think about Blind Ambition (1976)?
A walk down memory lane to a time when presidential felonies were frowned upon. Dean published this new edition to make sure Watergate revisionist history would not gain a foothold, and to add to what he knew then the facts that he has uncovered since. He delved back into the case again in order to pursue a lawsuit against Gordon Liddy, certifiably insane Watergate burglar and current right wing talk show host, and his co-author. These two had written that Dean's wife, the beautiful Maureen, was a prostitute, among other easily provable lies, and while battling in court, Dean listened to the Nixon tapes that were released, which confirmed his Senate testimony in every particular.Dean says it is news that Nixon didn't know about the Watergate break-in ahead of time, but he jumped into the coverup with both feet, directing it from the Oval Office, encouraging his employees to obstruct justice, and so on. All of this in an effort to keep people from finding out that he had previously ordered the same cast of characters to break into Daniel Ellsburg's psychiatrist's office looking for dirt to discredit him. I don't think this was news to anybody who had followed the story at the time or later, but I guess the young-'uns need some more schooling on a simpler time when only some Republican politicians were criminals.
—Michele Weiner
Well written and immersive view of the Nixon White House from someone who was there and let his "blind ambition" get the better of him when faced with the opening chapters of Watergate, to which he contributed a great deal once the deed was done. You get a good picture of the cover up and how it developped from the "grunts" (i.e. the first line defenders, so to speak) point of view. Shows you how loyalty and faith can cloud your judgment and how you can rationalize a lot of things you know are beyond the pale and keep going against good sense. Recommended.
—Patrice Maltais
