Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0895263203, Paperback)

Two-time presidential candidate Steve Forbes lays out his political vision in A New Birth of Freedom. Readers won't become very familiar with Forbes the man, but they will definitely get to know what Forbes thinks about the issues of the day. "Less government and more freedom" is the principle underlying most of his ideas, whether they involve the flat tax, health care, or Social Security. The book is detailed, but not overly so, and avoids becoming a mere laundry list of policy choices. Libertarians will be drawn to his economic ideas, and social conservatives will appreciate his chapter on "the moral basis of a free society." Forbes puts many of his best applause lines from speeches on these pages, but they will sound fresh and bold to those who haven't heard them before: "We can't tinker with this tax code monstrosity or try to reform it around the edges. The only thing we can do with this hideous beast is kill it, drive a stake through its heart, bury it, and hope that it never rises again to terrorize the American people." Forbes also takes a subtle swipe at Texas governor George W. Bush, his main competition for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000: "I come from a family of entrepreneurs and risk-takers--of tax-payers, not tax-raisers," he writes, hoping Republican primary voters will remember that his father, George Bush, broke his "no new taxes" pledge when he was president. If they do and pick Forbes, this book provides a good look at what to expect from the Forbes administration. --John J. Miller