Combat:: Twelve Years in the U.S. Senate

A former two-term Republican senator from New Hampshire, Rudman, who decided not to run again in 1993, characterizes the Senate as a frustrating arena dominated by partisan politics and logrolling and badly in need of campaign-finance reform. In this feisty political memoir, he defends the 1985 Gramm-Rudman deficit-reduction act, which he co-sponsored, arguing that it held down federal spending for three years even though Congress used various tricks to avoid full compliance with its stipulations for automatic cuts. Rudman, who was vice-chairman of the Senate Select Committee investigating the Iran-contra scandal, opines that the exposure of the covert operations of Oliver North and his cronies will discourage future presidents and their aides from attempting another such adventure. He staunchly defends the nomination of his friend David Souter to the Supreme Court (""I didn't know how David felt about abortion, nor did I want to know""). Former chair of the Senate Ethics Committee, Rudman blames the Democrats for blocking the committee from censuring three Democratic senators--Alan Cranston, Don Riegle, Dennis DeConcini--who allegedly swapped favors with savings-and-loan tycoon Charles Keating, who was convicted of securities fraud. Lastly, Rudman discusses his work as co-chair of the Concord Coalition, which builds grassroots support for a balanced budget. Author tour. (Apr.)