Books in Brief

Nofziger, by Lyn Nofziger (Regnery Gateway, 358 pp., $21.95)

WRONG TITLE. This intensely personal memoir should have been called Pure Nofziger. These are the chatty, no-bark ramblings of the legendary Franklyn C. Nofziger as he travels, with Ronald Reagan and the conservative movement, from the outhouse to the White House. Nofziger spins yarns, settles score after score, and, best of all, opens old wounds. The feuds with Nancy (true, but overstated), the homosexual ring in the governor’s office (yep, but Kemp wasn’t part of it), the Kitchen Cabinet (yep, but Justin Dart wasn’t part of it), Mike Deaver (the rarity, even in politics, who turned on both of his mentors, Meese and Clark), George Bush (in Reagan’s eyes, he finally outgrew wimpdom), James A. Baker III—well, we ought to save something, but just to get you started: Nofziger defines fratricide as Baker bagging a turkey. Verily, all the Washington Post Style section’s open questions are herein resolved. In other words, a great read, and recommended as a companion volume to Ed Meese’s all-but-official account of the Reagan years. These two books will stand as the case for the defense, at least until the Morgan biography appears, and possibly beyond.

About the Author

Neal B. Freeman

Neal B. Freeman, businessman and journalist, was a director of National Review Inc. for 38 years.

AM

About the Author

Angelo M. Codevilla

GM

About the Author

Geoffrey Morris

SR

About the Author

Selden Rodman

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Nofziger, by Lyn Nofziger (Regnery Gateway, 358 pp., $21.95)

WRONG TITLE. This intensely personal memoir should have been called Pure Nofziger. These are the chatty, no-bark ramblings of the legendary Franklyn C. Nofziger as he travels, with Ronald Reagan and the conservative movement, from the outhouse to the White House. Nofziger spins yarns, settles score after score, and, best of all, opens old wounds. The feuds with Nancy (true, but overstated), the homosexual ring in the governor’s office (yep, but Kemp wasn’t part of it), the Kitchen Cabinet (yep, but Justin Dart wasn’t part of it), Mike Deaver (the rarity, even in politics, who turned on both of his mentors, Meese and Clark), George Bush (in Reagan’s eyes, he finally outgrew wimpdom), James A. Baker III—well, we ought to save something, but just to get you started: Nofziger defines fratricide as Baker bagging a turkey. Verily, all the Washington Post Style section’s open questions are herein resolved. In other words, a great read, and recommended as a companion volume to Ed Meese’s all-but-official account of the Reagan years. These two books will stand as the case for the defense, at least until the Morgan biography appears, and possibly beyond.