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"The single most defining characteristic of America in the
Nineties," writes Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Johnson, "was
an all-consuming preoccupation with scandal." And indeed, in this
social history of the decade (a sequel to his chronicle of the
Reagan years, SLEEPWALKING THROUGH HISTORY), Johnson argues that
Scandal Times could only happen with the cooperative willingness of
the participants, the media, and the public's insatiable appetite.
And while O. J. and Monica are the crown jewels, receiving the
lion's share of pages here, Johnson reminds us that there were
plenty more: Susan Smith, Jeffrey Dahmer, JonBenet, Amy Fisher,
Clarence Thomas, Tailhook, Lorena Bobbit, Tonya Harding, and even
that cross-dressing commentator, Marv Albert. All held the intense,
unrelenting interest of the country...until the next scandal broke
and the CNN trucks were on the move to slake the thirst of our
national short attention span.

"Celebrity has become virtually the most important thing in
everybody's life," entertainment mogul David Geffen --- who should
know --- tells Johnson. "People are obsessed with famous people.
People want to be celebrities more than anything in this world."
Hence, the '90s saw a litany of these 15-minute celebrities, known
only for their dubious "achievements" that nonetheless jettisoned
them into public consciousness but kept them there a bit longer,
thanks to the amazing proliferation of media outlets on TV, radio,
and the Internet.

Johnson's title, of course, has its own little irony. While turning
page after page of scandal --- and feeling slightly dirtier for it
by the end of the book --- he also devotes chapters to the amazing
advances in science and technology (human genome project, cloning,
the Internet) made during the Clinton years, not to mention the
economic boom. However, these chapters sometimes come off dry ---
like the educational and public service programs that usually run
on radio stations at 4 a.m. on Sundays. Who cares about the
intricacies of DNA strands when what we really want to know is what
size and color of pump shoe does Marv Albert favor?

Holding the narrative of this country's triumphs and foibles
together, like one of Dickens' Christmas spirits, is William
Jefferson Clinton. "Here is a leader of such talents and
complexities, such strengths and weaknesses, that his very
successes typify America," Johnson writes of the "real-life Gatsby
of our times." And really, could anyone fathom similar revelations
about any other president that wouldn't result in his job loss and
an extended public stoning? Remember, Clinton's job performance
ratings went up in the middle of the whole impeachment
proceedings!

Ultimately, though, while THE BEST OF TIMES is quite comprehensive
in its factual presentation, Johnson offers little new in the way
of observation and analysis that even the most casual of TV viewers
doesn't already posses. "The O. J. Simpson trial is about race,
sex, celebrity, wealth, power, privilege, and prejudice --- both
black and white prejudice," he says. To which most people's
response would be "Well, duh." And his dissection of the
Lewinsky affair --- while written as a compact primer --- offers
little that hasn't already been devoured, save revelations of the
even more egregious duplicity of Linda Tripp.

"There are no dark corners left in America," Johnson quotes wry
singer/songwriter Don McLean at decade's end, and he's absolutely
right. What was in those dark corners has now become family
entertainment, be it a slow-speed chase of a White Bronco on TV
(with cheering crowds) or the salacious excerpts of the Starr
Report. Ultimately, while THE BEST OF TIMES is an all-encompassing
social dossier on the Clinton years, it simply comes out too close
to the actual events to provide the context it obviously desires,
making it a time capsule that's been opened too early, offering
little chance for surprise.