Former RI Sen. Linc Chafee Names Names

With the excitement of the presidential primaries building as the field of hopefuls in both parties shrinks, it’s easy to forget what this election means—an end to the administration of George W. Bush. Some expressed their frustration with Bush, and his party, by voting for Democrats in the 2006 elections. One of the senators who was swept out of office in this wave of anti-Republican sentiment was former Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee.

Nearly two years after he left office, Chafee has written a book. And if the rumors that are flying around the media are any indication, it’s going to be a damning tome for members of both parties.

Mark your calendars now. Against the Tide: How a Compliant Congress Empowered a Reckless President hits a bookstore near you on April 1. The Providence Journal’s Scott MacKay has read an advance copy, and teases us with some juicy snippets.

“I find it surprising now, in 2008, how many Democrats are running for president after shirking their constitutional duty to check and balance this president,” writes Chafee. “Being wrong about sending Americans to kill and be killed, maim and be maimed, is not like making a punctuation mistake in a highway bill.”

But one of the juiciest tidbits is an unattributed quote from a leading Democratic senator who tried to explain why the Democrats voted to go to Iraq, despite Bush’s unconvincing reasoning.

“They are afraid the war will be over as fast as Gulf One. Few will die, the oil will flow and gasoline will cost 90 cents a gallon.”

Is it the bitter screed of a man who’s angry at his party for costing him his seat in the Senate, or plain unvarnished truth? Either way, we’ll be first in line to buy it.