DELIVER US FROM EVIL: Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism

Conservative Fox Television news host and bestselling author Hannity sees behind the ills of the world one cause: evil. And so Hannity joins the "neocon" chorus, positing that totalitarian regimes, such as Hussein's in Iraq, Hitler's Germany and the former Soviet Union, serve as breeding grounds for evil, thus justifying President Bush's policy of pre-emptive action against countries that could threaten American interests. Despite "irrefutable evidence," Hannity writes, today's liberals inexplicably doubt that "absolute evil truly exists," and instead foolishly cling to the idea that the world's problems might arise from social, psychological and cultural differences or from economic inequality. Fans of Hannity—Christian conservatives in particular—will no doubt embrace this straightforward call to arms. Many readers, however, will find Hannity's "irrefutable" evidence to be anything but, and his selective use of history and circular logic raise far more questions than it settles. Two final chapters examine what Hannity considers to be the dangerous, partisan policies espoused by the current slate of Democratic presidential candidates. For our democracy to survive, Hannity argues, we must root out terrorists and defeat evil totalitarian regimes before they can harm us—a theme that will no doubt play loudly this election season. (Feb.)