Biography

William J. Bennett

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William Bennett was in a pop musical group in his youth. He grew into a conservative politician and wrote books, most recently "The Book of Man". He was Secretary of Education under Ronald Reagan and a "drug czar" under George H.W. Bush, and was mentioned in the Al Franken movie, Al Franken: God Spoke (2006).
- IMDb mini biography by: T. Fulcher
William Bennett is an American conservative expert, politician, and political theorist, who served as Secretary of Education from 1985 to 1988 under President Ronald Reagan. He also held the post of Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Bennett writes for National Review Online, National Review and Commentary. He is a former senior editor of National Review and wrote the book "To Reclaim a Legacy."
- IMDb mini biography by: Tango Papa

U.S. Secretary of Education (1985-1988).
Appointed by President George H.W. Bush to be the first director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, or "drug czar," 1989-1991, he coordinated the "war against drugs," but resigned in frustration.
A former Democrat, Bennett joined the Republican Party in 1986.
A crusader for "moral family values" (he was one of former President Bill Clinton's harshest attackers during Clinton's impeachment) and a return to "old-style virtues," Bennett was forced to admit in May 2003 that he had lost about $8 million gambling in casinos during the preceding decade. A review of one 18-month gambling stretch showed that Bennett would often visit casinos for two or three days at a stretch. One casino source said, "He'll usually call a host and let us know when he's coming. We can limo him in. He prefers the high-limit room, where he's less likely to be seen and where he can play the $500-a-pull slots. He usually plays very late at night or early in the morning--usually between midnight and 6 a.m." Documents showed that in one two-month period, Bennett wired more than $1.4 million to casinos to cover his gambling losses. When exposed by the Washington Monthly and Newsweek magazine, Bennett claimed that he planned to quit gambling.
As US Secretary of Education during the Ronald Reagan presidency, 1985-1988, Bennett promoted a very conservative agenda, slashing federal aid to students and exhorting schools to become a force for "moral education."

[on his gambling:] "I play fairly high stakes. I adhere to the law. I don't play the 'milk money.' I don't put my family at risk, and I don't owe anyone anything."
I've gambled all my life and it's never been a moral issue with me. I liked church bingo when I was growing up. I've been a poker player. [May 2003]
But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could - if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. [Sept. 28, 2005, broadcast of Salem Radio Network's "Bill Bennett's Morning in America"]

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