Scandal

A rash of recent American scandals--from ABSCAM to the as-yet unresolved Iran-Contra affair and S & L disaster--has further eroded public trust in government, already damaged in the Vietnam years under Johnson, contends Garment, a former Wall Street Journal Washington, D.C., correspondent. With authority she recounts the ``criminalization of politics'' by the creation of a ``scandal machine'' fueled by hypocritically self- righteous probes into the private lives of prominent figures, the defense industry and white- collar crimes. Citing 80-odd notorious cases of misconduct occurring within both political parties, Garment identifies the roles played by the White House, Congress, the courts and the ethics ``apparat,'' along with an increasingly aggressive press. She blames most malfeasance on ``widespread failure of political will'' and occasional lapses of media vigilance, as in the thrifts catastrophe. An eye-opener. Author tour. (Oct.)