The Wrecking Crew
By Thomas Frank Metropolitan Books; 369 pages
Conservatives are just a gang of bullies in this polemic by the author of What's the Matter with Kansas? The volume stars jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff, with a supporting cast that includes Grover Norquist and Tom DeLay. It explains how cynical conservatives have wrested control of the government by railing against its very existence, all while using federal perches to funnel billions into the pockets of lobbyists and the corporations they represent. "Conservatism, as we know it, is a movement that is about greed," steered by the right-wing "chiselers" on the...