The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era

activity in the Senate and in the integrity, motives and standards of those in public office. Sometimes he is optimistic about politics as a progressive force, and at others he’s rather despondent. Like many, although the signs were there, he did not seem to envisage some of the more concerning developments in U.S. democracy, such as the rise of populist or alt-right movements. Despite its saccharine Camelotian title, the final chapter “Coming Home to Port” is possibly the best of the lot. Here, EMK rails against the inactivity of the current political system, the legislative gridlock, and the growing pointlessness of the Beltway to American life in general. By this stage the “lion of the Senate” is fired up and it’s a very entertaining read. At one point he asserts that “[w]e’re doing absolutely nothing in the United States Senate that’s relevant to anybody’s life” (472). The book concludes with a detailed reflection from the editors on the process of this oral history project, including the complex process of engaging the Senator in the research. Evidently it took some time for Kennedy to warm up to the process and there were times when he was too didactic and insufficiently personal in the interviews, leading to the researchers having to encourage subtle changes in emphasis. This description provides a persuasive account of the importance of establishing trust between researchers and their interviewees, and why longterm and repeat interviews can be so valuable. This chapter also makes some comments about the complexities involved with researching such powerful individuals and the implications this can have professional balance, on boundaries and on interpretive perspective. Although by its nature the book is supportive of the Kennedy project and legacy, it is also in many senses presented more as a series of sources rather than as text making interpretations and judgements of its own. Final interpretations of Kennedy’s life and career are ultimately left to the reader. With that in mind, this book is an indispensable scholarly resource on Ted Kennedy and deserves to be widely read, assigned and discussed.