Manners: Trivial Pursuit

attempts to defend Madison against the charge of instrumentalism have the feel of special pleading. Moreover, Rosen’s suggestion that Madison thought him- self right to “obfuscate” and to be less than “entirely candid” with others on certain matters, when he did so in service of the cause of self-government, does not reflect well on Madison’s sense of political morality. These, however, are quibbles more with Madison than with Rosen, who has written an excellent book.

NR