Packwood: The Public and Private Life from Acclaim to Outrage
by By Kirchmeier, Mark
Category: Political Science , General

United States Senator Robert Packwood was the first Senate Republican to support the impeachment of President Richard Nixon during Watergate. Twenty years later, Packwood found himself embroiled in his own career-shattering scandal, complete with possible Senate hearings, furious calls for his resignation, subpoenaed diaries, and two muckraking Washington Post journalists.Accused of making sexual advances toward more than twenty female employees during his long career, Senator Packwood has become a universal symbol of sexual misconduct, the multifaceted, hotly debated issue that has been making headlines since the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings. Packwood chronicles the life and career of an enigmatic man who is both a brilliant strategist and an on-the-ropes politician. After more than two hundred interviews with insiders, veteran reporter Mark Kirchmeier reveals the fascinating - and disturbing - stories behind the accusations.The Packwood saga goes beyond the story of one politician's rise and fall. Kirchmeier's keen analysis reveals a personal scandal that has left its imprint on the public issue of sexual harassment and will affect future government ethics legislation.