You don't have to like America's pornographer-in-chief Larry Flynt to enjoy One Nation Under Sex, Flynt's review of political sex scandals that have played major roles in shaping American history. It's apparent that Flynt wants to move away from the image he created with the graphically explicit Hustler magazines and its scratch-and-sniff centerfolds. You might expect Flynt to revel in all his raunchy glory with tales of political dalliances or all sorts, but Flynt and his co-author, Columbia University history professor David Eisenbach, play it straight (so to speak) in this tome where footnotes far outnumber "naughty words."Even going back to the early days of American history, our political leaders were a randy lot. There was old Ben Franklin, whose flirtations with French women may have actually helped secured aid in the struggle to break free from England. And Thomas Jefferson, who hid his affair with slave girl Sally Hemmings even while he was writing the stirring words that would guide a nation. Sometimes the "affairs" of state paved the way for disasters, as when bachelor President James Buchanan allowed his life-long attachment to a Southern Senator to bring the U.S. to the brink of Civil War. And then there is the much debated controversy over Lincoln's alleged relations with men that add to the myth of the tragic hero president.Flynt also casts an eye at the media and its changing definition of when a politician's sex life is fair game. The media, according to Flynt, were well aware of John Kennedy's numerous affairs, but actively conspired to keep JFK's womanizing out of the spotlight in order to gain access to the president. After the revelations of Watergate, politicians and the press became adversaries, a system that reached its peak in the Clinton administration and revelations of oral sex and stains on blue dresses. Flynt, who famously offered a bounty on information about straying politicians who were investigating Clinton, theorizes that while the branches of government were wallowing in Clinton's "bimbo eruptions," it became easier for terrorists to plot against America culminating in the 9/11 attacks.Agree with Flynt's assertions or not, he has a very clear message: "We, the people, need to grow up." In Flynt's estimation, moralism, judgment and feigned outrage over a leader's sex life are distractions that have little to do with whether or not a leader is effective. While Flynt does come up with some compelling arguments, I can't imagine that his ideas will sway public opinion. Readers will take away from One Nation Under Sex what they want. For those who want an overview of how sex scandals have been perceivived during our history, this book is a good starting point.