Against the Grain: Reflections of a Rebel Republican

Against the Grain is a political and spiritual memoir of Senator Mark O. Hatfield, the most progressive politician in the Republican Party since Abraham Lincoln, covering his opposition to the Vietnam War, successful drafting of the Soviet-American nuclear freeze legislation with Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy, and his strong stands of conscience on health reform, the death penalty and the balanced budget amendment, which typically ran counter to the Republican mainstream. For five consecutive Senate terms, Hatfield made his mark, sometimes softly, sometimes stridently, fighting to serve the people of his country with honesty and devotion. Constantly opposing the military-industrial complex and the violence of the arms race, he fought for housing, employment, education and basic human dignity. Throughout the book, and in the final section on spirituality, he offers hope, insight and solutions to the greatest violences facing our age: militarism, discrimination, materialism and poverty. He envisions a world where the "political-industrial complex" no longer holds sway and candidates are judged on merit, rather than marketed like toothpaste. In a world swerving out of control, his solutions move away from big government toward enlisting people's hearts and minds.

Senator Mark O. Hatfield is a senior statesman who enjoys a reputation for integrity, bipartisan advocacy, and social action. In his half century of public service he served as Oregon state representative, state senator, secretary of state, governor, and five-term U.S. Senator. He chaired the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, consistently built coalitions between unlikely allies, and often stood alone for what he felt was right.