February 12, 2008 Former Oklahoma Representative Mickey Edwards To Discuss New Book On Conservatism On March 5

Former Representative Mickey Edwards (R-Okla.), a leading member of the American conservative movement for more than 40 years, believes that many conservatives today have abandoned their principles and have become champions of that which they once most feared—government intrusion. In his new book, “Reclaiming Conservatism: How a Great American Political Movement Got Lost—And How It Can Find Its Way Back,” Edwards argues that the mantle of conservatism has been taken over by people whose beliefs and policies threaten the entire constitutional system of government by gutting the system of checks and balances, abandoning due process and trampling upon civil liberties. He provides a blueprint for reclaiming the essence of conservatism in America. Edwards will discuss his provocative book at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5 in the Law Library’s Multimedia Room (Room 240) of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. A book sale and signing will follow the program. Sponsored by the Law Library, the program is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and advance reservations are required (contact Alisa Carrel at acar@loc.gov). Edwards was a member of Congress for 16 years and chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee. He was a founding trustee of the Heritage Foundation and national chairman of the American Conservative Union. He has taught at Harvard and Georgetown Universities and is now on the faculty of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs; he is also a vice-president of the Aspen Institute. He has been a regular columnist for the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times and a weekly commentator on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” Founded in 1832, the Law Library provides Congress, other government agencies and the public with legal information housed in its collection of more than 2.6 million volumes. For more information about the Law Library, go to www.loc.gov/law/.