Thinking Tuna Fish, Talking Death: Essays on the Pornography of Power

Among the articles collected in this lamely titled journalistic collage is Scheer's 1980 exchange with George Bush, in which the latter rashly argues that nuclear war is survivable and winnable. For that alone, Scheer's trenchant book is worth reading in this election year. Another piece, ``The Shambles of Star Wars,'' is just as timely. Whether the Los Angeles Times correspondent is analyzing the new Jewish conservatism or power politics in the Bronx, Scheer ( With Enough Shovels: Reagan, Bush, and Nuclear War ) evinces courage and savvy in tackling controversial issues. A journalist whose self-styled mission is telling truth to power, he perceived that Nelson Rockefeller's salient trait was ``total confidence in his ability to coopt anyone.'' The same tough-minded, skeptical quality strengthens Scheer's reporting on the Vietnam War, his critique of the Meese Commission against pornography, and profiles of nuclear warrior Herman Kahn and Pepsico executive Don Kendall. (October)