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Article: Dishonest Abe; how LBJ's favorite Supreme Court justice became the prototype of Washington's valueless lawyers. (Abe Fortas, Lyndon B. Johnson)
- Article from:
- The Washington Monthly
- Article date:
- December 1, 1990
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1990 Washington Monthly Company. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Dishonest Abe
Imagine a man with great abilities and strong convictions, but few, if any, principles. He would lack the internal gyroscope to harmonize his disparate beliefs or guide his personal conduct. Ends would always sanction means, and contradictions could be rationalized or simply ignored.
This is the Abe Fortas that emerges from the pages of Laura Kalman's carefully researched and well-written biography of the public man. (*1) It is precisely this kind of man who would falsely believe that he could simultaneously serve the most powerful private interests and promote the public good.
The Fortas story provides an inside perspective on ...