The American Leadership Tradition: Moral Vision from Washington to Clinton

Readers who haven't gotten their fill of musings on the relationship between sex and power from the nation's op-ed pages and talking heads can turn to Olasky (Renewing American Compassion). The editor of the weekly Christian magazine World seeks to show how religious beliefs and sexual morality influenced the behavior of 13 presidents and statesmen (the non-presidents examined include Booker T. Washington, Henry Clay and John D. Rockefeller). Watergate burglar and born-again minister Chuck Colson pens an introduction, which promises that readers will ""thrill over inspiring models of moral leadership in our nation's history."" Certainly, Olasky zeroes in on interesting details: Abraham Lincoln once walked out on a prostitute mid-session rather than accept her offer of paying on credit; Theodore Roosevelt could repeat long portions of Scripture at will. But Olasky also barely disguises his censorious delight at listing stale details: FDR cheated on Eleanor; JFK's secretaries performed both on typewriters and under the covers. At the end of the book, Olasky comes to what clearly is the point of this collection of rather humdrum object lessons: he writes the speech that he believes President Clinton should give. Other than the admission of obstruction of justice Olasky puts in the president's mouth, the speech, in its admission of sin (which is Olasky's main point), is remarkably similar to one already given by the president. (Feb.)