Dershowitz began by noting factual errors in the book, a routine task for a critic. But quickly, he dipped into the sexual harassment lawsuit of former O'Reilly producer Andrea Mackris. Instead of reviewing the book, then Dershowitz turned it into a screed mocking O'Reilly as a hypocrite. For example:
O'Reilly the author rails against secularists to whom the sanctity of the church means nothing, while O'Reilly the powerful media mogul bragged to his Fox News producer, according to her legal complaint, that "he was going to Italy to meet the Pope, that his pregnant wife was staying at home with his daughter, and implied he was looking forward to some extra-marital dalliances with the 'hot' Italian women."
This is unproven gossip in a legal document, a document that led to a monetary settlement. In the Clinton camp, when the plaintiff was Paula Jones, they called those kinds of allegations "trash for cash." But Dershowitz is perfectly willing to use it against O'Reilly, even as he railed against the "sexual McCarthyism" behind wanting Clinton to be held accountable for his sexual harassment.
Dershowitz concluded the review with a huge thumbs-down: "This book is so riddled with errors, inconsistencies, bad advice and hypocrisy that by O'Reilly's own standards -- we must not 'leave children exposed to harm' -- it should be placed in the adults-only section of the bookstore. Or better yet, with the joke books."
Dershowitz also unloaded a rant against O'Reilly's description of his trip to the Sylvia's soul-food restaurant with Al Sharpton. He brings in snippets of O'Reilly's old radio and TV appearances to embarrass him. It reads more like a feisty O'Reilly-hater column in the opinion section than an attempt to tell readers what to expect.
