Because He Could
by Dick Morris, Eileen McGann
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (12 October, 2004)
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Reviews (33)

Much more even-handed than I would have predicted
1) The beginning of this book is so boring I wanted to scratch my eyes out

2) It gets better though.Dick presents the good things that Clinton did so well that I actually came away with a more positive impression of Clinton that I had going in.

3) Dick presents the negatives, and they are not few in number.However, they are equally funny and tragic.Funny because I am not a Clinton fan.Tragic because of the missed opportunities and wasted time for both him and our country.

4) Even though I don't like what Clinton stood for, I came away with more sympathy for the man.I also feel like such a charismatic man could have done more with his time in office.

****
The author's own history shows he does not have the most stellar character. But he is undoubtedly an articulate, intelligent person with a gift for clarity and insight. One of the strengths of the book is Morris' explaining clearly some things that were inherently confusing, or that were made confusing by the Clintons' own smokescreens. Morris concisely explaining what WhiteWatergate was all about is a big plus. Idon't agree with everything in the book. To call Clinton's ability to read others' emotions "empathy" is very much mis-labeling. As has been pointed by Christopher Hitchens--among others--Clinton is possibly a sociopath. Sociopaths can READ peoples' emotions but they can't FEEL them. Empathy requires feeling others' emotions. Sociopaths coldly READ others emotions, and use that ability to manipulate others. Which is exactly what Clinton did. So Morris mis-labeling Clinton as "empathetic" is a glaring flaw in this book (because he does so over many pages). But the rest of the book is very insightful and interesting, and taught me a lot.

Solid
The book is a good description of the saga of Bill Clinton.It describes the manner in which Clinton views the world, from his own narcisisstic perspective.If I had any remaining reservations in my personal perspective of Bill Clinton, they are gone.Dick Morris confirmed my thoughts. ... Read more

Isbn: 0060784156
Sales Rank: 26838
Subjects:  1. 1946-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Clinton, Bill,    7. Historical - U.S.    8. Political    9. Political Process - Leadership    10. Presidents    11. Presidents & Heads of State    12. United States    13. Biography & Autobiography / Presidents   

The Secret Life of Bill Clinton: The Unreported Stories
by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 November, 1997)
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Editorial Review

These days, it seems like everyone's a Friend of Bill--Clinton's buddies from Arkansas are turning up in powerful White House positions faster than you can say "Whitewater." But make no mistake, British journalist Ambrose Evans-Pritchard is no F.O.B.: in the course of The Secret Life of Bill Clinton's 350-plus pages, he manages to connect the president to everything from 1997's Oklahoma City bombing to Arkansas's drug underworld to the mysterious death of White House aide and longtime Clinton friend Vince Foster, and, of course, to Paula Jones. According to Evans-Pritchard--who has reported for the London-based Spectator, Sunday Telegraph (where he served as Washington bureau chief), and Daily Telegraph newspapers--Clinton's "original sin" was the Waco incident, the FBI's much-criticized assault on the Branch Davidian community in Texas that led to the deaths of 76 people. From that point on, the author asserts, it was all downhill for the American people.

Evans-Pritchard's exposé of Arkansas's favorite son is indeed scathing: he documents the then-governor's drug use and consort with prostitutes (primarily in the company of ne'er-do-well brother Roger); innumerable lies to friends, staff members, and the people who empowered him; numerous infidelities; blackmail--the list goes on and on. Evans-Pritchard claims that, because he is not an American citizen, he is not "beholden to any political or financial interest in the United States," and he does not "hang on lips of official sources," nor does he "fear the loss of access in Washington, or the blackball of [his] profession"; in other words, he ain't afraid to call 'em like he sees 'em. And although many of his seemingly wild claims and accusations are substantiated by thorough notes and appendixes following the text (including copies of original FBI documents), you're never quite convinced of the author's theories. Whether or not you come to believe, as Evans-Pritchard does, that "Arkansas was a mini-Colombia within the United States, infested by narco-corruption"; that--because of William Jefferson Clinton--"you can sniff the pungent odors of decay in the American body politic"; that the president's "actions and character ... have engendered the most deadly terrorist movement in the industrialized world," you will most certainly be entertained and enlightened by the dirt this British muckraker has uncovered. You may not be an F.O.B., but after reading this book, you may not mind so much. ... Read more

Reviews (81)

What a McGovernite Liberal is Really Like
Evans-Pritchard reveals what America gets when it elects a new age liberal.Bill Clinton a "new democrat"? Yes, if you mean New Left.

This Clinton is a man who served under the segregationist and anti-Vietnam war senator Fulbright.

Evans-Pritchard takes you behind the sanitized snapshots. What you see is at least a third of the American voting populace who does not mind Clinton's Arkansas corruption and subsequent White House coverup. "They all do it," was the Clinton defense.

Most reporters were too cowardly to investigate the suspicious activities at Mena, Arkansas airport, or the bumbling of Clinton's handpicked stooges in the Justics Department, and the subversion of the FBI's handling of the Oklahoma City bombing.

Before the dead kids bodies in the Murrah Building were even cold, Clinton blamed conservative talk radio for creating the climate that led to the bombing. That is what a real liberal does.

In retrospect, it now becomes clear why James Carville became Clinton's most staunch defender. To paraphrase a threat from Carville, "Ken Starr is one step away from having his kneecaps busted." THAT IS THE REAL BILL CLINTON, not the easy-going good-time charlie playing the sax on TV.

Bill Clinton was a Rhodes scholar . . . with extremely poor judgment. Crafty? Yes. Wise, like Reagan? Hell No.

A must-read to any American citizen...
I purchased this book after hearing review after review of it from my family members.Needless to say, they were right - this book is an absolute bombshell of information that pinpoints most, if not all of the ethical and legal faux pas raised by the Clinton Administration and the organizations under that regime.Some of the highlights include how the FBI blundered Waco, how the Murrah building was most definately more than a one-person job (but was apparently ordered not to investigate it as such), how Clinton was dealing in cocaine trafficking and how the Clintons managed to cover all of this up with the help of the liberal media.

... Ambrose Evans-Pritchard documents everything he asserts based on facts of witness testimony, comparing FBI affadavits, and other documents related to these cases.If there is any flaw with the book is that Pritchard couldn't 100% tie all of the incidents to Clinton, though 95% of the crimes mentioned in the book can be easily seen how they tie to Clinton or to someone high up in the Clinton administration.

I reiterate - this book is a must-read to anyone who is sick and tired of hearing how great the Clinton Administration is, and should be read by those people who continue to profess how wonderful Clinton was.

Partisan Revenge Tactics = Big Bucks
To the people who read this book, you really should do some research on the author, who was sure that he was going to be killed by Clinton's "Death Squads" while writing this.It's a perfect book to feed the conservative paranoia that the Clinton years cultivated.The guy couldn't even have a successful affair without getting caught, how he could have managed all that he is accused of in this book is borderline absurd.And the section regarding the advanced knowledge of the Oklahoma bombing is just plain ridiculous, especially when you compare it to the recent allegation of the Bush administration's advance knowledge of 9/11 activities.It's easy to dislike Clinton when you're a conservative, I understand, and this book certainly gives you fuel for the fire.But no one should take anything in this book as entirely factual or of any journalistic value.The elaborate footnotes and "documentation" are an almost comedic exersize in logical thinking.But hey, I'm not going to knock a book that so many people like.The only thing I object to is its classification as a "non-fiction" book. ... Read more

Isbn: 0895264080
Subjects:  1. 1946-    2. 1993-2001    3. 20th century    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Clinton, Bill,    6. Current Affairs    7. Government - U.S. Government    8. History    9. History & Theory - General    10. Oklahoma City Federal Building Bombing, Oklahoma City, Okla., 1995    11. Political    12. Political corruption    13. Politics - Current Events    14. Politics and government    15. United States    16. United States - 20th Century    17. Clinton, Bill    18. Foster, Vincent W   

Uncovering Clinton: A Reporter's Story
by MICHAEL ISIKOFF
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (30 March, 1999)
list price: $25.00
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Editorial Review

First at the Washington Post, and later at Newsweek, Michael Isikoff researched the stories that helped turn Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey, Linda Tripp, and Monica Lewinsky into household names. Uncovering Clinton is his version of All the President's Men, a play-by-play account of how he put the pieces together and gradually came to the conclusion, based on the allegations surrounding Bill Clinton's sexual behavior, that the president of the United States was "psychologically disturbed."

But Uncovering Clinton is also about how Isikoff had to fight with his own editors to get his reporting into print and how he fell victim on multiple occasions to online gossip columnist Matt Drudge, who stole Isikoff's thunder by printing items about stories that hadn't run. He also found himself caught up in the machinations of Linda Tripp and her literary agent, Lucianne Goldberg, as they schemed to manipulate the president and his paramour into a compromising situation. Isikoff is up-front about the frustrations he experienced on the journalistic trail; although he wanted to think of himself as another Seymour Hersh when he set out on the Jones story, he writes, "instead, I was starting to feel like Geraldo Rivera." Even though just about everybody knows the basic story at this point, Uncovering Clinton is still as lively a read as any political thriller--and all the more unsettling for being true. --Ron Hogan ... Read more

Reviews (77)

More World Weakly News than Newsweek
Poor Michael Isikoff couldn't get a job at the more presigious World Weakly News, instead Newsweek hired him at a bargain rate. And it shows in this boring, half witted book that was written for feebs.

Five years later: big story, big ego
The fifth anniversary of the Monica Lewinsky scandal came and went without little media coverage or public reaction. People seem to have forgotten how the whole world briefly revolved around a blue dress and Newsweek reporter Michael Isikoff.

It is a safe bet Isikoff hasn't forgotten.

The title and author's name appear in equal size type along the spine of Uncovering Clinton/A Reporter's Story. This technical touch is an appropriate tribute to Isikoff's monumental ego. The reporter's megalomania is on display from the first page to the acknowledgements; one two-page footnote is dedicated to a relatively inconsequential detail that involves Iskoff. The journalist is pretty full of himself.

So why give such a vanity project three stars? The answer lies in the epilogue. The last pages of Uncovering Clinton probably best summarize the scandal and subsequent impeachment and acquittal of Clinton more than anything written at the time or since. One line about the press coverage, in particular, stands out:

"Sometimes the best stuff comes from the most unpleasant people."

Isikoff's summation is dead on.

Few heroes are to be found here. The "most unpleasant people" make the best sources, the best investigators, the best villians, the best liars, the best conspirators, and the best characters. New details emerge in these pages about Matt Drudge, Sidney Blumenthal, Lucianne Goldberg, Linda Tripp, Monica Lewinsky, Vernon Jordan and assorted others, but none are rehabilitated by the fresh information. President Clinton is oddly absent from most pages. Yet when Clinton does appear he is a dark and furtive figure.

Iskioff, apparently unwittingly, portrays himself as a reporter with an oversized ego and just enough grandiosity to see his work as always for the greater good. Oddly, Paula Jones comes across as a very sympathetic character. Isikoff finds a surprising degree of merit in Jones' sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton. On the other hand, Isikoff's acceptance of Kathleen Willey's dubious tale throws this and other observations into some question. The Betty Currie the author portrays is potentially more culpable than she appeared. Without actually stating it, Isikoff's outrage at cyber-muckraker Drudge is an acknowledgement of the transition from the old era of the Establishment press to the Internet age of instant information. Drudge's scoops are a portent of things to come.

The book effectively is divided into three sections: theJones lawsuit against the president, which started it all; the Willey accusation, which interjected Isikoff into the story; and the sexual scandal and subsequent cover-up that led to the president's impeachment. The author neatly ties them all together.

As the title indicates, this is a reporter's story. Neither scholarly nor shallow, Uncovering Clinton chronicles how one egotistical and dogged journalist covered, and in the process helped shape, a historic event that most people seem eager to forget. Given the sordid calamity Isikoff describes, the public reaction is understandable---and regrettable.

A Good Story
Isikoff is able to pull off something unusual, not getting placed into the loop of "Bill-Haters". He tells the story with much facts and gives us an excellent view of the players in this drama (L. Tripp, M. Lewinsky, V. Jordan, R. Bennett, B. Clinton, P. Jones, B. Currie). I learned about the "vast conspiracy against WJC", but was disappointed in the lack of any info regarding Hillary. Obviously, she was tangental to the story, but it would have been nice. There was a earlier comment about Isikoff not taking an attorney to task over a blatent lie (Obviously not the first in this case). I would tend tobe a bit more charitable: I think Isikoff had an error in judgement. I believe overall Isikoff acted with a great deal of integrity... Far more than you could say about the ex-president. ... Read more

Isbn: 0609603930
Subjects:  1. 1946-    2. 20th century    3. American    4. Clinton, Bill,    5. Conspiracy & Scandal Investigations    6. Current Affairs    7. History    8. Political    9. Political Corruption    10. Politics - Current Events    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Presidents    13. Relations with women    14. Sexual behavior    15. U.S. Government    16. U.S. President    17. United States    18. United States - 20th Century    19. Clinton, Bill    20. Current Events / American   

Spin Cycle: Inside the Clinton Propaganda Machine
by Howard Kurtz
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (18 March, 1998)
list price: $25.00
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Editorial Review

With a slew of simultaneous scandals to his credit and numerousongoing investigations pending, President Clinton has been bombarded bythe media in a fashion not seen since the last days of the Nixonadministration. Despite this unwanted attention, Clinton hasmanaged to maintain lofty approval ratings and successfully deflecteven the most ardent attacks. How does he do it? This question isanswered in full in Spin Cycle: Inside the Clinton PropagandaMachine, an engrossing, backroom look at how news is created andpackaged in the White House and the methods used to distribute it tothe public. In painting a detailed picture of the hand-to-hand combatknown as a press conference, Kurtz shows how the use of controlledleaks, meticulously worded briefs, and the outright avoidance ofcertain questions allows the White House to control the scope andcontent of the stories that make it to the front page and the nightlynetwork news. As Kurtz makes clear, the president and First Ladyare convinced that the media are out to get them, while the journalistscovering the White House are constantly frustrated at the stonewallingand the lack of cooperation they encounter while trying to do theirjobs. In the middle is White House press secretary Mike McCurry, amaster at defusing volatile situations and walking the fine line withthe press. Though less paranoid and cynical of the media than Clinton,he often finds himself on both ends of personal attacks and vendettasthat veer far outside the arena of objective reporting. The anecdotesand carefully buried information Kurtz has uncovered give SpinCycle a brisk pace, along with ample invaluable information thatcuts to the core of this age of media overkill. The author of HotAir and Media Circus and a longtime media reporter for theWashington Post, Kurtz is uniquely qualified to report on thestatus of news dissemination in the United States. ... Read more

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Reviews (38)

Not the Fluff Cycle
Being a fan of President Clinton I always read a book on his administration with a bit of a bias view.At times this book upset me and other times I was shouting "right on", given these duel responses I have come to the conclusion that, no matter that I did not agree with a number of items, the book is an overall fair look at the Clinton scandal fest. I thought the author did a great job in weaving together the pertinent facts about each of the scandals / issues with the response from the White House.I was very interested in the inside info on how the White House tried to either spin or deflect each of the stories.The author had a great deal of direct quotes of conversations, which really made the book come alive.The information about the White House briefing is worth the price of the book alone.You can actually see this type of activity at work today with the current briefings that are televised.

I also was interested in the additional comments on the way that the Clinton's themselves viewed the media and their knee jerk reaction to clam up at every question.You almost got the feeling that if the Clinton's would have always listened to the media people on their staffs that some of the overall negative and nasty press they received may have been decreased to some degree.The last bit of the book that surprised me was the, at times, rude, disrespectful and almost violent way the media and the White House staff dealt with each other. You just got to wonder what the White House staff was thinking to beat up on the people with the loudest voice in the country.My only complaint was that the book ended too soon, missing the Super Bowl of the spin, the Starr Report and the impeachment. It would have been nice for the author to have held out a year or so for the full story in the paperback.Overall I found this book well written, very interesting and quite enjoyable.It is required reading for anyone that is interested in the Clinton years or the media.

Interesting, but some definite narrative problems
As a political "junkie" and avid reader of political memoirs, pundit rantings, etc., I looked forward to reading Kurtz's Spin Cycle. It was worth the read, but it was ultimately disappointing.

I admired two main aspects of the book. First, this seems to be a legitimate, credible view from the inside. The use of direct quotations and the attention to detail allow the reader to be more of an insider.

Secondly, Kurtz does a nice job with the characterizations of the main players. Instead of just telling the reader what so-and-so said (a common occurrence in many political books) Kurtz provides potential motivation and character traits. Again, this allows for a detailed look "behind the scenes."

However, there were many aspects that disappointed. First, the book's organization was very disjointed. It was difficult to follow the progression of the story; often, I couldn't tell if Kurtz was proceeding in chronological order.

Secondly, the book's ending seems "tacked on." Obviously, Kurtz couldn't have foreseen the Lewinski saga as he was planning the book, but after-the-fact, I wish Kurtz would have been able to more seamlessly include this chapter. As a result, the book seems to end, but then we have another chapter on Lewinski.

Furthermore, the book ends before Clinton's spin story was over. We don't get to learn about the White House response to the Starr Report. We don't get to follow the PR during the 2001 election. I found myself wishing that Kurtz had waited to write this book until after Clinton left office.

All in all, it's an interesting book and a worthy read. Some structural problems, though, proved problematic.

and this was just the dress rehearsal (so to speak)
The presidential flacks had done their job.For 1997, at least, their spin had carried the day.
-Howard Kurtz, Spin Cycle

In a story that is utterly devoid of edifying moments and chock full of quite depressing ones, these
final lines of the book are the most shocking.For it is only as you read them that the full realization
hits home that Howard Kurtz's justifiably jaded and cynical look at the way the Clinton administration
manipulated the press and the public in order to cover up or blunt scandal was written before the
Lewinsky scandal broke.Commingled with the shock though is the sudden comprehension that the
Clinton Administration was uniquely well prepared to deal with such a scandal, having spent the prior
seven years honing their obfuscatory skills on a whole series of equally disturbing and potentially
damaging scandals.

In fact, as Kurtz notes in a hastily tacked on Epilogue, one that subsequent events were to wholly
outpace, in the deposition that Bill Clinton gave in the Jones case, on the weekend that Matt Drudge
broke the Monica story, he revealed that he had in fact had sex with Gennifer Flowers.In other
words, on the very first occasion that most Americans saw Clinton, the infamous Super Bowl night 60
Minutes appearance, he lied to us all, with Hillary at his side, and it worked.

What Howard Kurtz really ends up detailing for us is just the long dress rehearsal before the big show,
in which the Clintons and their spin machine worked out all the kinks in their act.By the time the
Lewinsky scandal broke, they understood that all they had to do was deny initially, demonize liberally
(both accusers and investigators), leak pre-emptively, and acknowledge belatedly and they would be
able to so desensitize the press and the people that Bill Clinton would ultimately survive.And so, as
the tawdry mess reached its foreordained conclusion, we had the hitherto unimaginable situation of a
credible rape charge (by Juanita Broaddrick) against the President of the United States, which he did
not even deny, but which the press chose not to hound him with.He had finally just beaten them
down to the point where they didn't have the heart to pursue another scandal.

Then, in a moment which nearly redeems him, Clinton left office in a blizzard of bartered pardons and
other final acts of contempt for the staffers, supporters, and voters who had excused everything he'd
ever done.It was the final (...) gesture of a man who clearly understood that he had so implicated a
nation in his treachery that he had become untouchable.To judge Bill Clinton at that late date would
have required people to face all of the excuses and allowances that they'd made for him in the
preceding eight years, and that was not going to happen.It was all just so brazen that it was hard not
to admire the in-your-face flourish with which he departed.Howard Kurtz does a fine job of charting
the early years of the Clinton scandals, but there was so much more yet to come.

GRADE : B+ ... Read more

Isbn: 0684852314
Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Government - U.S. Government    3. History    4. Mass Communication Media And Politics    5. Mass Media - General    6. Political Process - General    7. Political Science    8. Politics - Current Events    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Practical Politics    11. Press    12. Press and propaganda    13. Propaganda, American    14. U.S. Government    15. U.S. Public Opinion (Political Aspects)    16. United States    17. United States - 20th Century    18. Clinton, Bill    19. Current Events / Mass Media   

Pattern of Deception: The Media's Role in the Clinton Presidency
by Tim Graham, L. Brent Bozell, Media Research Center
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 June, 1996)
list price: $22.75
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Reviews (6)

Steal This Democrat Playbook!
Highly recommended and thorough job by Mr. Graham and company. The facts and examples are numerous and thoroughly persuasive, though I was already one of the converted upon reading this book. It is quite readable and the arguments are well-strung together, making for an easy read. I suspect that one looking on this page already has a strong opinion of Clinton and/or the media in this country, so there isn't really a need to try to argue one side or the other. Just note how CBS gave the biggest audience to Bill & Hillary after the '92 Superbowl to respond to the Gennifer Flowers controversy that threatened to sink him. We now know it was an orchestrated event by friends of Bill to rescue him. Can you imagine if Steve Kroft had followed-up Clinton's "I acknowledge I have caused pain" comment with, "so, it's all out of your system? If we elect you President American can count on a focused, determined leader whose illicit daliances are behind him?" I'd pay a MILLION DOLLARS to see Clinton's reaction to THAT question! Notice Clinton never even apologized, just "acknowledged" that he caused "pain." Don't people who cause pain apologize? Not if you're Bill, and not if you're the media powers that propped him up for 8 long, terribly painful years.

Biased Book about Media Bias
Media Bias & the theft of the '92 election is the supposed topic of this book, which interested me enormously. Unfortunately, the book only works if you're so anti-Clinton that you blindly agree with the biased view of the authors. The so-called "facts" and "figures" are indeed numerous, and meant to beat you into bleary-eyed submission. I don't doubt there's a great book to be written on media bias & politics, and I thought that's what I was buying here. But it's just standard Clinton-bashing, with selective research and shoddy leaden prose as well. I'd love to see a companion volume by the same crew on the 2000 election, and compare their reporting. But if you just want to rant & rave like an uneducated toddler, this will probably make a tasty pacifier. Otherwise, I'd say save your money.

Excellent expose
If you ever get the feeling that the media is slanting the political playing field, this book is for you.The author calmly lays out the bias of the national media, statement by statement.Very good read...but beprepared to get angry. ... Read more

Isbn: 0962734837
Sales Rank: 850001
Subjects:  1. 1946-    2. Clinton, Bill,    3. Journalism    4. Mass media    5. Media Studies - Print Media    6. Objectivity    7. Political aspects    8. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    9. United States    10. Clinton, Bill    11. Relations with journalists   

Hustler: The Clinton Legacy
by Joseph Sobran, Joe Sobran, Tom McPherren
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (03 October, 2000)
list price: $29.00 -- our price: $29.00
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Reviews (6)

Great!
This is a great selection, full of Sobran's characteristic wit and insight.

Sobran on the warpath (alleluia)
America's funniest political pundit dissects America's funniest president (whom Sobran rightly likens to Falstaff): so how can you possibly go wrong with this collection of spirited and fierce essays? The author's combination of moral passion with complete freedom from unctuousness remains as impressive as ever.

If you thought you had read it all - read this!
Over the last 8 years America was under the charm of the Bill Clinton. Books, magazines, newspapers, television and radio relayed countless stories about the scandals and corruption within the White House day after day and nobody cared – or so I thought.

With this book you have an author who takes an objective and biased looked into what made and what makes up the legacy of Bill Clinton and his presidency. Written with a great detail to the facts, Sobran presents story upon story about what happens when you cross Bill and when Bill determines to disregard his advisors.

Read stories about the sex scandal, dealing with the Republican majority, foreign affairs, trashing those who disagree with Bill and Hillary. Also there are stories about people like Monica, Paula Jones, David Brock, Linda Tripp and others.

Overall the author makes very short work of those liberal myths about what Bill Clinton stood for and what his presidency was all about. Well documented and well argued this book is a real eye opener. The book does require and open mind in order to understand the gravity of each story, but the time spent reading is well worth it. ... Read more

Isbn: 0967884500
Sales Rank: 1759937
Subjects:  1. 1946-    2. 1993-2001    3. 20th century    4. Clinton, Bill,    5. Conspiracy & Scandal Investigations    6. Ethics    7. Government - U.S. Government    8. History    9. Political Process - Leadership    10. Political Science    11. Political corruption    12. Politics - Current Events    13. Politics and government    14. Politics/International Relations    15. Public Affairs & Administration    16. United States    17. Clinton, Bill   

Washington Babylon
by Alexander Cockburn, Ken Silverstein
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 April, 1996)
list price: $18.00
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Reviews (1)

Veteran Washington observers name names, document lies
Alex Cockburn and Ken Silverstein hold a clinic onhow to interpretWashington DC, boldly naming names, citing specific incidents, invokinghistories those less familiar with the subject leave out.Terrific job onhow the New Boss is Same as the Old Boss -- and will be until we stopgetting fooled again. ... Read more

Isbn: 1859840922
Sales Rank: 354888
Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. History    3. Political corruption    4. Politics - Current Events    5. Politics and government    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Practical Politics    8. U.S. Government    9. United States    10. Clinton, Bill   

Year of the Rat : How Bill Clinton Compromised American Security for Chinese Money
by Edward Timperlake
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (25 October, 1998)
list price: $24.95 -- our price: $24.95
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Editorial Review

While many political journalists largely considered the second term of Bill Clinton's presidency in terms of his romantic interludes, Edward Timperlake and William C. Triplett II follow up on one of the more controversial scandals of the 1996 reelection campaign. The Democratic National Committee was eventually forced to return $2.8 million in illegal contributions, much of it from foreign nationals, and much of it brought to the party by fundraising executive John Huang.

Huang originally represented U.S. interests for the Riady family, a powerful family of Indonesian businessmen with close ties to the Communist Chinese government. James Riady had been a "Friend of Bill" since 1977, and the two authors all but insinuate that the Riadys "scouted" Clinton--whether as an unwitting dupe, a sleeper agent, or merely an exploitable opportunist is never quite clear--and helped underwrite his bid for the White House. Why? So they could get John Huang a Commerce Department appointment... one that came with a top-secret security clearance.

Timperlake and Triplett gather together an astonishing--and largely convincing--mass of evidence that the Clinton-Gore administration "has made a series of Faustian bargains and policy blunders that have allowed a hostile power to further its aims in Washington." In addition to the potential security breach represented by Huang, they document numerous policy decisions that risk strengthening the technological and military power of Communist China, power that might well be used against the United States in the future. ... Read more

Reviews (86)

Homeless Dude
As a kid, I often took bikerides that took me past the Watergate Hotel.Every day, outside the hotel, there was this homeless-looking dude who distributed pamphlets with the same name as this book.

a rat book
lots of sensationalism, unfunded accusations, paranoid and bias. no wonder it's only worth a few cents.

Are there no patriots in the Secret Service, the CIA, or FBI
I read the hard cover as a gift when it first came out. Now I've read it a second time. That's when the dry read starts jumping off the pages at you. It is well documented (must be true) and raises the following questions:
1.Why were the authors not dealt with by the Arkansas cops?
2.Is it the donuts and fringe benefits that prevent G-Men from taking extreme measures when confronted with imminent threat to U. S. survival?
3. How come the McArthur Foundation didn't track down the patriots at McDonnell-Douglas and give them major financial awards for their selflessness?
4. Are we just living in a great big global paradise for political elites where Chinese communist elite kids, children of Arab Sheaks and future fat cats of America go to prep schools in New England; and limited wars like the current one, along with North Korean goose steppers serve merely as props to keep the American masses off balance and paying taxes? Read this book twice and see if you don't come up with similar questions
... Read more

Isbn: 0895263335
Subjects:  1. Campaign funds    2. Corrupt practices    3. General    4. Government - U.S. Government    5. International Relations - General    6. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    7. Political Science    8. Political corruption    9. Politics - Current Events    10. Politics and government    11. Politics/International Relations    12. U.S. - Contemporary Politics    13. U.S. President    14. United States   

Dereliction of Duty: The Eyewitness Account of How Bill Clinton Endangered America's Long-Term National Security
by Robert Patterson
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (25 March, 2003)
list price: $27.95 -- our price: $18.45
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Editorial Review

Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Robert "Buzz" Patterson was a military aide to President Clinton from May 1996 to May 1998 and one of five individuals entrusted with carrying the "nuclear football"—the bag containing the codes for launching nuclear weapons. This responsibility meant that he spent a considerable amount of time next to the president, giving him a unique perspective on the Clinton administration. Though he arrived at the job "filled with professional devotion and commitment to serve," he left believing that Clinton had "sown a whirlwind of destruction upon the integrity of our government, endangered our national security, and done enormous harm to the American military in which I served."

Dereliction of Duty is not a personal attack on President Clinton or a commentary on his various scandals; rather, it is a "frank indictment of his obvious—to an eyewitness—failure to lead our country with responsibility and honor." Lt. Col. Patterson offers a damning list of anecdotes and charges against the President, including how Clinton lost the nuclear codes and shrugged it off; how he stalled and lost the opportunity to launch a direct strike on Osama bin Laden at a confirmed location; how the President and the First Lady, and much of their staff, consistently treated members of the military with disrespect and disdain; and how Clinton groped a female Air Force enlisted member while aboard Air Force One, among other incidents large and small. A considerable portion of this slim book is devoted to the myriad ways in which President Clinton undermined the military, and hence the security, of the nation. He seriously questions Clinton's decisions to send troops to Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti, and Bosnia to accomplish non-military tasks without clear objectives. Having participated in each of these engagements, Lt. Col. Patterson personally "experienced the frustration of needlessly wasted lives, effort, and national prestige"as well as the alarmingly low morale that Clinton inspired.

This is certainly not the first anti-Clinton book, but it is different in that Patterson does not seem to have a political ax to grind. In fact, at times, he appears apologetic about having to write about his ex-commander in chief. Yet, in the end, this retired soldier felt his last act of service should be to share his experience with his country. --Shawn Carkonen ... Read more

Reviews (460)

A Must Read for Any Poli-nut
If you're interested in politics and world news, this is a book that you should read. An interesting chapter of how we've ended up in the foreign policy struggles of today.

My only real beef with the book is the voice it is written in. To understand, you'll have to read...

Outstanding!Relevant Now and in 2008!
This is one of those books you pick up and read very quickly.It held my attention from page one to page last. I knew (or thought I did) about the many transgressions of the Clinton era but this book shook me to my knees.Its one thing to hear speculation, its a whole different matter to hear them from a military officer, sworn to protect and defend, who has no political agenda (and in fact seems pained in the process of writing this book).Author Patterson lays it all out in a very objective, sequenced, well-written argument.Clinton was the worst commander-in-chief in our country's history.

More importantaly and timely, Mrs Clinton is poising for a run for the White House in 2008.Any open-minded citizen considering a vote for her potentially should read this book!Her husband was a nightmare for the US.If you can believe Patterson (and I do, a man with impeccable credentials), Hillary is a train wreck waiting to happen.

America can't afford another throw back to Clinton and Carter.The stakes are simply too high.Read this compelling work and reflect on what was...and, pray God, what will not be.

Buzz Patterson sets the table.You just must pull up a chair and dine.

A First-Hand Account of Corruption at the Top.
When I found this book at the library surplus sale, I was skeptical about its intent, and felt I could offset the title.This account is told by the son of a two-star general and his own military career is spectatular in itself.He was brought up to be honest in his assessments with a strict ethical background.He was the last person they should have hired to be one of the military aides to the 'wild man' Bill Clinton.His mentor who had written for Parade magazine before taking government assignments, Al Santoli, in the Foreword praised Patterson who would "never intentionally malign any person."

It took a lot of reading and time to convince me otherwise.He should have writtten of his concerns in 1998 when he was no longer an aide and stand up for his beliefs.In 1996, he tried to undermine the president because, first and foremost, he was military and Clinton had other "more important" interests.He accuses him of saying false things about our peril, what he called "an obvious, whopping lie."

He gives details of the scandals involving his boss, information to which he was privy.He found Hillary to be nasty and rude, ruling the White House with an iron hand.He stated matter-of-factly that the president feared his wife.She was the "power behind the throne."He was upset with their abuse of the airplane and the high office, and their disdain toward the military.Sometimes, they used the aides as luggage carriers or golf caddies.

He went from fascination to disgust.He made fun of the president's golf game and saw him cheat at golf; the photo on the cover has Clinton with a golf tee in his mouth.It shows the real Clinton.

As with so many scandals of Clinton's terms in the White House, it was the nation who paid the price.And Mrs. Clinton is being touted as the first female president.She already has been, and it was corrupt and expensive.

Clinton's forcing of "coed" mixed-sex integration in the miltary caused serious problems, and lawsuits concerning rape.The administration covered up the shortcoming of that policy instead of dealing with it legally.Many women had to drop out of the military because they became pregnant.

Pictures tell the truth.He was young, idealistic when he was chosen as the Air Force aide; two years later, you can see his disillusionment and bewilderment about what he had seen first hand and been forced to live through.It was a harrowing experience for an ethical citizen who loves his country.I hope that this book has been theraputic for him.Thanks to him, we now know how bad things were and how they had the 'time of their lives.' ... Read more

Isbn: 0895261405
Subjects:  1. 1946-    2. 20th century    3. Biography    4. Clinton, Bill,    5. Government - Executive Branch    6. Government - U.S. Government    7. History    8. Military leadership    9. Military policy    10. National security    11. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    12. Political Science    13. Politics - Current Events    14. Politics/International Relations    15. Presidents    16. Public Policy - Social Policy    17. United States    18. Biography & Autobiography / Presidents   

On the Make: The Rise of Bill Clinton
by Meredith L. Oakley
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 March, 1996)
list price: $16.95
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Reviews (3)

A good read.
This bio of Clinton is not as easy to read as the Maraniss book; however, the effort to plough through it is well worth it. Because Oakley had covered Clinton for so many years, she offers far greater detail andinsight into the inner workings of his years as governor. Sometimes sheprovides too much detail which, unless you are a true policy wonk, you mayfind tedious.

The result is an insightful and generally balanced view ofour most gifted politician who is also a complicated and enigmatic man.

Now read this!
Great Bio.Here's an excerpt from page 68. Taken from astatement madeby Clinton's friend, CliffordJackson during their student days at Oxford." One incident stands out very clearly in my mind," Jackson said."We were talking about politics. Bill recounted a story he told to betrue. He had heard a ... staff member telling about a White House secretarywalking into the Oval Office...to find Lyndon Johnson and a certainattractive young woman...engaged in sex on the Oval office floor. She wason top of the president ,and she had a peace symbol on a chain danglingbetween her breasts." Jackson recalled the look of amusement onClinton's face as the anecdote unfolded." Sure..it was a funnystory...but the impression I got was that Bill thought it was so neat thatJohnson could get away with something like that."

So, as I said,great book!

One of Two Great Ones
This is, next to David Maraniss' bio, the best one available.Although Oakley spends too much time glorifying Arkansas Democrat Editor John Starr, she does present a look at Clinton from his home crowd, the people who have known him longer than anyone else.At times she seems almost jealous of Clinton's success.This remains, however, a definite book to read if you want to get inside Bill Clinton's head and stroll around for a while. ... Read more

Isbn: 0895267195
Sales Rank: 1870359
Subjects:  1. 1946-    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Clinton, Bill,    6. Political    7. Presidents    8. United States   

Partners in Power: The Clintons and Their America
by Roger Morris
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (25 April, 1999)
list price: $17.95 -- our price: $17.95
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Editorial Review

Absent a royal family, the American people have developed a thirst for subjects for gossip from on high. In Bill and Hillary Clinton, they have them. Roger Morris charges the first family with misdeeds committed while upon the throne in Arkansas: Bill taking money from Whitewater partner James McDougal; Hilary using well-connected brokers to win fabulous returns on her investments; the governor's affairs; and their friendship with a drug-dealing bond daddy, to name a few. Those after the dirt on the Clintons will love this wheelbarrow full of it. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Seignorial Privilege
I looked forward to reading about the early life of Bill Clinton and his early marriage and the Arkansas days, etc, and this book has a lot on that--quite substantial. So I was a little shocked to arrive at page 440, where Morris refers to "Clinton's extra-marital relations with literally hundreds of women" Hundreds? That would be a minimum of 200. That's really quite a lot. I had always assumed a dozen or two.

I began to wonder how that would work. Is a governorship such an easy job (just a lot of paper signing and speechifying) that an accomplished shmoozer can fit it in between hundreds of trysts? Whatever you think of his politics, it must be admitted that it's quite an accomplishment, especially considering he wasn't really all that interested in the governorship or the trysts, but rather the presidency.

And what of the "Partner in Power"? Could she see early on that her husband was a politician of such consumate skill that he was a shoe-in for the presidency, and so chose to overlook his turning Arkansas into his personal harem? And what of Hilary's other partner in power, Vince Foster, now dead? If Morris touches on their "semi-private kisses and furtive squeezes", an "intimate professional bond between two attorneys", then surely he ought to dig a bit deeper on the cause of Foster's death. No sign of depression prior to the suicide. No death threats. What on earth happened to Vince Foster.

All these deeply intriguing topics--Bill's monumental multi-tasking, Hillary's apparent acquiescence, Foster's mysterious death--are touched on but lightly. What really interests Morris is financial scandal, into which category he places, seemingly, any transaction over $10,000. The book is larded with endless, and I mean Endless, details of money for campaigns, money made in teal estate, many made in banking, in retail, in government, in law, in public and in private--all with the implication or explicit assertion that a crime was committed. And Morris doesn't stop with the Clintons. The Republicansand Reagan in particular come under his moral lash for using too much money to get elected or to celebrate having been elected. Literally hundreds of pages are devoted to venting his indignation at the expenditure of money in politics, almost as though he believes that the only ones fit to govern are indigent altar boys or investigative reporters.

This reader would have liked less of the sort or quasi-incrimminatory fodder that fills the pages of the Village Voice and more probing into the feudatory state of Arkansas, perhaps interviewing some of the hundreds of women. There's a gripping story there, a noir classic, but I doubt it will be revealed by poring over old account ledgers.

The reality of the Bill Clinton
This is an excellent read!If you are unconvinced of the corruption we have had for the last eight years, then this book will cause you to reconsider.It also goes into detail as to how Bill Clinton got into this terrible condition.

Anyone who dismisses this book as unsubstantiated isobviously partisan andhasn't been paying attention to the news for the last eight years nor of late. An objective and reasonable person will see the truth and the truth is what is written in this book. It is well written and well documented.Mind you this is a close friend of Bill Clinton who wrote the book!No agenda - just truth for those who can accept it.

This book highlights the ongoing pattern of deceit, illegal substance use, womanizing by force and corruption.Frankly, I'd rather not be in denial but admit the obvious about this man.Hopefully the American people will never allow someone of this low caliber ever become President again.

The reality of the Bill Clinton
This is an excellent read!If you are unconvinced of the corruption we have had for the last eight years, then this book will cause you to reconsider.It also goes into detail as to how Bill Clinton got into this terrible state.

Anyone who dismisses this book as unsubstanstiated isobviously partisana and also hasn't been paying attention to the news for the last eight years. An objective and reasonable person will see the truth and the truth is what is written is true and well documented.Mind you this is a close friend of Bill Clinton who wrote the book!No agenda - just truth for those who can accept it.

This book highlights the pattern of deceit, drug use and corruption.Frankly, I'd rather not be in denial but admit the obvious about this man.Hopefull the American people will never allow someone of this low calibur ever become President again. ... Read more

Isbn: 0895263025
Subjects:  1. 1946-    2. 1951-    3. Arkansas    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Clinton, Bill,    7. Clinton, Hillary Rodham    8. Conspiracy & Scandal Investigations    9. General    10. Government - U.S. Government    11. Politics - Current Events    12. Politics and government    13. Biography & Autobiography / General   

The Dysfunctional President: Understanding the Compulsions of Bill Clinton
by Paul, Phd Fick, Paul M. Fick
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 May, 1998)
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Reviews (2)

Intriguing Ideas.
This was one of the first political books I ever read and I bought it mostly because it was written in the form of a psychological case study.The author's diagnosis of Clinton's chief concern being that he is the adult child of an alcoholic may or may not be the cause behind his erratic professional and personal behavior.To me, he appears to be more narcississtic than anything else (of course, a narcississtic personality is not mutually exclusive with having an alcoholic parent).Seeing Clinton last night speak at the Democratic Party convention reminded me of just how much the public differs in its perceptions of this man and how much he continues to affect our lives.I can honestly say that this book was informative and provocative and I recommend it to you.

Understanding Bubba? Perhaps
As a rule, I am scornful of books that attempt to psychoanalyze public figures from afar; indeed, I am skeptical about psychology in general. In this case, the author himself points out that his analysis should only be taken so seriously considering he has never seen the 'patient'. I am also dubious about the notion of 'syndromes' in general. Certainly Bill is a liar and a vacillator who denies personal responsibility, but are these traits really caused by the fact that his father was an alcoholic? So I came to the book a skeptic. That being said, I found the book very compelling. The most amazing thing about it is it seems to predict the Lewinsky scandal, and Clinton's reaction to it. Those that loath Bill Clinton will certainly enjoy it, and find it very convincing. Those that love him will dismiss it out of hand. Those who are in between will be very disturbed. ... Read more

Isbn: 0806520027
Sales Rank: 288704
Subjects:  1. 1946-    2. 1993-    3. Adult Children Of Alcoholics    4. Clinton, Bill,    5. Current Affairs    6. Government - U.S. Government    7. Political    8. Politics - Current Events    9. Politics and government    10. Politics/International Relations    11. President U.S.    12. Psychology    13. Psychopathology - General    14. U.S. - Contemporary Politics    15. United States   

No One Left To Lie To: The Values of the Worst Family
by Christopher Hitchens
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (July, 2000)
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Editorial Review

The most vocal critics of Bill Clinton's presidency tend to be conservatives--think, for example, of William J. Bennett's The Death of Outrage--but there are those on the Left who are fed up with Clinton as well. Among them is journalist Christopher Hitchens (most prominently associated with The Nation and Vanity Fair), who has produced a slim but vehement volume outlining how "Clinton's private vileness meshes exactly with his brutal and opportunistic public style." No One Left to Lie To is the story of a man who took the Democratic presidential nomination and, having achieved office, began enacting welfare reform and anticrime legislation that surpassed the ambitions of all but the most ideologically loyal Republicans--and routinely plundered the GOP platform for other policy ideas as well.

Hitchens is particularly damning on Clinton's tendency to resort to divisive racial politics when it suits his purposes, as when, in the course of the 1992 presidential campaign, he refused to lift a finger to save a mentally retarded African American from state execution so he could appear tough on crime, then shortly afterwards hijacked a Rainbow Coalition conference to criticize rap artist Sister Souljah for the benefit of the attendant press. When he needs the black vote, though, Clinton will allow himself to be trumpeted as the most racially sensitive president in American history--if not, in Toni Morrison's memorably ludicrous phrase, "our first black president." Furthermore, the man who once connived his way out of the draft has become a chief executive so willing to use military air strikes as a means of foreign policy that, in the author's view, the United States is now a "potential banana republic."

Of course, there is plenty of vitriol directed at Clinton's conduct with regard to Monica Lewinsky (the woman with whom he admitted, under duress, to having had an "inappropriate relationship" consisting of multiple incidences of oral sex) and Kathleen Willey (who alleges that the leader of the free world merely fondled her breasts and forced her to touch--albeit shielded under some layers of clothing--his tumescent penis). In Hitchens's view, however, the sexual controversies are only the most prominent aspect of Clinton's shameful character, a moral condition that must be considered in toto. The book is short, with an argument that runs only about a hundred pages, but that's still more than enough room for Hitchens to serve up a comprehensive, blistering indictment suffused throughout by his dark wit. He sums up the failure of those fixated on Clinton's adultery to fully investigate his cronyism and financial shenanigans: "It's not the lipstick traces, stupid," Hitchens warns, "it's the Revlon Connection." --Ron Hogan ... Read more

Reviews (139)

Excellent, except for the photo and title blunder
Hitchens provides an excellent analysis of the President's lies to everyone in the world. The lies he told during the campaign, the lies he told leading up to the war, the lies he continues today. Hitchens, although clearly a foreigner in this country, is nonetheless outraged by the unprecedented level of deciet and corruption practiced by the current administration and its ruinous effect on everything this great country stands for, even though he is not from this country. He is from a country where people say "triangulation" instead of "lie".

It's an excellent account of the most corrupt President in history. The one flaw, and its a major one, is the the way the publisher or editor or whatever flubbed the cover. The title was supposed to read "...triangulations of George Walker Bush" and they accidentally put the Clinton's photo on the cover, instead of the correct photo, which any idiot with half a brain could tell you was supposed to be of Bush Jr and Bush Sr.

Hitchens' petty outrage
This is Christopher Hitchens' anti-Clinton book. It is presented, as he says from the start, as a "cheerful polemic." And that's just what it is. Hitchens clearly enjoys his contempt for Clinton the man, Clinton the president, and most of the people around him.

But the book is painfully weak. No matter what charges Hitchens levels against Clinton, nothing sticks. There are two reasons for this. (1) The left wing disliked Clinton for being too conservative. Clinton made a lot of promises, but when it was time to act he passed laws like a moderate Republican. (2) The right wing hated Clinton for just about every reason you could dream up. (Only the center of the spectrum --- basically, rich liberals --- genuinely supported the man.)

Somehow, his lack of support uplifted Clinton to a pedestal of sympathy. The attacks from left and right made him into an underdog, a man who spent most of his presidency fighting for his political life. You had to admire the guy, even if you hated nearly everything he did.

Hitchens wades into this swamp of contradictions without a clue. He has the facts, but he doesn't know what to do with them. His retelling of the execution of Rickey Ray Rector, for example, is devastating. But the Rector story is the story of Clinton as a candidate doing anything to get elected --- including using a mentally-retarded man's death to boost his poll numbers. Sure it's ugly, but no one except Hitchens would be surprised.

The rest of the allegations are all over the place: Clinton's bombing of a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan, allegations of rape, firing black friends like Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, lying under oath, the health care plan, the Lincoln bedroom, the secret half-black love child, getting rid of welfare, and soft money from foreigners. It's a mix of real faults and Drudge-style accusations.

In the end, none of it matters. Simply put, anyone who reads the newspaper can write a book like this about ANY president. Just scoop up the real and the imaginary, the truly despicable moments and the tall tales, and you can write your own cheerful polemic. But if you write that book, you'll make the same mistake Hitchens does. By drawing his arrows from the quivers of the left wing and the right wing, he misses the target --- he makes Clinton look like just another lying, ambitious politician.

A fascinating and shocking look at the Clinton era
Christopher Hitchens book on the Clinton presidency should be compulsory reading for anyone interested in modern politics. Hitchens gives a searing critique of the Clintons and the way they have practised the art of politics from their days in the governor's mansion in Arkansas up to Hilary's senate campaign in 2000. This book gets three stars because while Hitchens does make a credible case for Clinton being not only the liar we now know that he is, but also a rapist, he shows an unrelenting hostility to the Clintons that seems to me to go beyond reasonable judgement and amounts to a prejudice (although not without reasonable foundation). This is not a balanced and fair account of Bill Clinton's time in the White House that should be considered definitive (as Edward Said has said), but rather a more or less reliable account of the worst that can be said of this chapter in American history. There is more that can be said in Clinton's favour (at least as a president, if not a human being) than is said here, and this should always be kept in mind by anybody who reads this book, whatever their own political affiliation. Hitchens style is sharp and erudite, and it is a good read, but one feels that it is not the whole story. ... Read more

Isbn: 1859842844
Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American    3. Conspiracy & Scandal Investigations    4. Current Affairs    5. Government - U.S. Government    6. History    7. Political corruption    8. Politics - Current Events    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Truthfulness and falsehood    11. United States   

Whitewater: From the Editorial Pages of the Wall Street Journal (A Journal Briefing)
by Robert L. Bartley
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 November, 1994)
list price: $14.95
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Reviews (1)

Clearly honest and several levels deeper than most coverage.
Included in this book is some of Micah Morrison's finest work, covering material that has yet to reach the full comprehension of the public, but which someday will seem like the writing on the wall for believers in the American ideals of integrity and individual freedom. ... Read more

Isbn: 1881944026
Sales Rank: 1566294
Subjects:  1. 1946-    2. Arkansas    3. Clinton, Bill,    4. Clinton, Hillary Rodham    5. Conspiracy & Scandal Investigations    6. Government - U.S. Government    7. Madison Guaranty Savings & Loa    8. Political Corruption    9. Politics - Current Events    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Real estate development    12. Whitewater Development Corpora    13. Whitewater Inquiry, 1993-2000    14. Clinton, Bill   

Unlimited Access : An FBI Agent Inside the Clinton White House
by Gary Aldrich
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (25 January, 1998)
list price: $15.95 -- our price: $10.85
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Editorial Review

By now the whory notion of doing a tell-all book about your boss, the President, is a hoary one too. (It dates back to Ike, who got the treatment from one of his doctors.)But with this book, the Clinton administration breaks new ground by being on the receiving end of a kiss-and-sell from a member of the White House security staff.Aldrich was an FBI agent assigned to the White House under both Bush and Clinton who, as this book makes clear, didn't think the changeover was progress. He mostly fixes on anthropological differences: the Bush staffers were neat and straight, the Clintonites were sloppy and had kinky work- shift sex a stone's throw from the Oval Office. Who knows if it's true? Who knows if Aldrich was debating between this and other more devastating forms of revenge available to a presidential guard? ... Read more

Reviews (96)

a collapse of maturity
about as helpful, intelligent and/or reliable as a ham sandwich, this book is one man's bitter tirade against an administration who decided he needn't work for them.the ambition and reasoning for writing the book is solely for the money coming in for book sales - do not believe it was any sort of civic duty.

the book grounded up Aldrich's reliability and outright respectability.he is no more than a whiner and opportunist with this book.

Why is everyone afraid to talk about this guy
I was surprised how long ago this came out and I had never heard of it.I thought this was a different prospective than most of the book I have read on this subject.I didn't think that the story was sensationalized.I don't know why the media or Congress didn't get in on this.

I guess I believe the people who work at the White House should be the best in their field and maintaining that standard through background checks does not seem outrageous.

I can't understand why the Clinton's hated the FBI and the Secret Service people so much they were there to help them.If it is true of how Hillary Clinton acted in the White House and the Media didn't report it, then the media is truly Liberal.

I was surprised how much trouble Mr. Aldrich had in publishing the book and the problems he had with the FBI so that it was OK to print.

The best part of the book was some of the interviews that he had with staff that had done illegal drugs.Some of their responses of surprise and how they acted in general was pretty comical.

There seems to have been a lot of corruption in that administration.I guess the thing that frightened me the most was letting foreign agents see classified material if they were willing to pay off the Clintons.

I was surprised how much power Bill Clinton had to give up because of his philandering.No wonder Hillary Clinton was will to cover it up because she got all the power.She was truly disrespectful to people which is why she got so burned on that health care thing.

I could not understand why no one prosecuted Hillary Clinton for all the illegal things she did was it because she could always get a pardon from the President, I do not know.

I was surprised at the end about Bill Clinton's education and his Rhodes Scholar education where he never took classes and just mooched off of other people.I guess he has been doing that all his life.

It you want to see some basic problems with the Clinton administration that go beyond politics check out this book.If you think the Clinton's were straight arrows you will hate this book.

Fun FilledIt is...Fact Filled well that's questionable
Of course if you are on the right youkind of cheer, if you are
in the middle-left like me and giggle. Kiss and Tell has always been that sort of thing. When something is written by a disgruntled person they will certainly mention everything bad and throw in a little extra colour too. It certainly is aimed to take Bill and Hill down a bit, whether it does is an open question. The main feeling I get is a guy who liked the old way of doing things and who finds the new way pretty disgusting.

The big lack is there is no real insight just a lot of complaining and bad Billy noises. I mean it would be nice
if I got some way to see into the Clinton's character I would have been happier. I mean going on and on about how snarly and cold Hilary was . How the Clinton staffers were poorly dressed does not show them to be incompetent or dishonest.

More about the FBI's role would have been better....I mean one is supposed to focus on a book's content in a review. What I feel compelled to do is focus on what I had hoped for that didn't happen. Like how did the Bureau fucntion, was it hampred by politics etc.

My thoughts are, if you are on the right biy this book buy this book it will give you pleanty of Bad Billy stories. Elsewise look elsewhere for examples of Clinton's character both positive and negative ... Read more

Isbn: 0895264064
Subjects:  1. American    2. Current Affairs    3. Employee screening    4. Government - U.S. Government    5. Officials and employees    6. Political    7. Politics - Current Events    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Presidents    10. Selection and appointment    11. Staff    12. United States   

Just the Facts - A Case for Impeachment: Over 200 Documented Lies, Misrepresentations & Contradictory Statements by William Jefferson Clinton
by Kenneth R. Becht
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 December, 1997)
list price: $19.95
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Reviews (3)

My uncle sure can right huh?
I was just reading some reviews of 'Just the facts" and am thrilled that people have enjoyed and learned from this book. Mr Clinton isn't exactly a shining example of integrity and morality and this book staes examples of this very clearly. Glad it was well recieved and I'm know my Uncle kenny was thrilled about that since he IS the author. Thanks everyone who showed so much interest.

"Just another book on Clinton?" I think not. Enlightening!
I had no idea that so many statements and promises made by Bill Clinton could be disputed. The book was easy to read and understand. This is one book that I want both my liberal and conservative friends to read.

Best book yet on Bill Clinton
After reading virtually every book written on Bill Clinton in the last 4-5 years I finally found one that presents factual evidence of all his wrong doing.The author uses Clinton's own words in quotes then shows later where he contradicts himself. History of impeachment was great too. ... Read more

Isbn: 0966272609
Sales Rank: 2453887
Subjects:  1. Biography/Autobiography    2. Clinton, Bill, 1946-   

Boy Clinton : A Political Biography
by R. Emmett Tyrrell
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (25 September, 1996)
list price: $24.95 -- our price: $16.97
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Editorial Review

R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. is the editor-in-chief at the American Spectator. Boy Clinton is his full-length diatribe against the current President of the United States of America. According to Tyrrell, Clinton is "so ambitious, so inexhaustible, so political, as to be a freak even by the standards of Arkansas" (take that, Arkansas) and has run "the most corrupt and incompetent presidency in American history" (and that, Richard Nixon). Clinton is not the only target of Tyrrell's wrath. Ross Perot is another "freak," and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard is a place where "has-been public figures pulled on their chins and sipped sherry." Depending on where you stand, you'll either find Boy Clinton a scream, or it will make you want to scream. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Shocking book
Did Bill Clinton's own brother complain that Clinton "had a nose like a vacuum cleaner?"Did Clinton use to run with drug smugglers in Arkansas?Did he later bring a top executive from a drug-smuggling outfit to work in the White House?Where were our watchdog media while all of this was happening?

More interesting, how could such a person get nominated and elected?This led me to some interesting re-appraisals of recent history.

I had "known forever" that the first Bush lost his re-election campaign "because of the economy."It turns out that this memory is completely false.The first Bush lost his 1992 campaign because of that ridiculous egomaniac Ross Perot, who figured that he had to make a run for the White House.He won millions of votes, cost Bush the election, and pushed Clinton into the White House with a mere 43 million popular votes.I found it surprising to realize all this in the year 2005, because during the past two elections we have been subjected to nonstop Democratic whines that George W. Bush did not win enough of the popular vote.I even heard whines about the 58 million votes (an absolute majority of 51 percent) which Bush gathered in 2004.

Yet when this scoundrel Clinton slithered into the White House as an absolute minority president, with 43 million votes, where were those whiners?

Bill and Hillary married just as a matter of political convenience?So it says in this book.I found another interesting titbit about Hillary going to clerk for the Stalinist attorney Treuhaft in Oakland.Treuhaft is the husband of Jessica Mitford, the "Red Mitford."That Hillary would go to work for a Stalinist who was busy defending the murderous Black Panthers speaks volumes about her political beliefs while she was in law school.

This book makes for extremely interesting reading!

A Great read for political Wonks like me!!!
While this book is a Political History it is also a psychohistory. Tyrrell tries to delve deep into President Clinton's Psyche and tell us what makes him tick. The Book Covers from Clinton's Birth through his first term and ends with the prediction he would not get re elected to a second term (WRONG), Tyrrell did not know about all the Illegal money raised from Asia that Clinton's campaign used to beef up his popularity before 96 (for More on that subject read Year Of The Rat by Edward Timperlake and William C. Triplett II). Anyway, the book besides being a chronicle of Clinton's political beliefs and where they came from, it also chronicles many crimes and misdemeanors that Bill gets away with. Its a remarkable story. This book is a must read for us political wonks and also cold be a good reference source for Historians in the feature. Find out where the bodies are buried sort of speak.

A Scathing, Snide attack on the Clintons
This is one of the weirdest books I've read in a long time. Written by R. Emmett Tyrrell of American Spectator fame, this has to be one of the most scathing attacks on Bill and Hillary Clinton ever written. I gave it five stars because it kept me in open mouthed awe throughout the entire read, as well as illiciting huge belly laughs over some of Tyrrell's word play, which can be truly brilliant. This book isn't a knee to the Clinton groin, it's a shotgun blast to the Clinton groin.

The book starts out with the L.D. Brown story. Brown was a close confidant of Clinton when he was Governor Clinton of Arkansas. Brown, with Clinton's help, attained a job with the CIA. Brown quickly became entangled in the Barry Seal/Mena drug trafficking operation. Brown is an important figure because he can link Clinton into the drug operations. This part of the book is essentially the same account that can be found in Ambrose Evans-Pritchard's "The Secret Life of Bill Clinton". If Brown is to be believed, this is a devastating indictment of Bill Clinton and sets the tone for Tyrrell's examination of the Clintons.

The rest of the book traces Bill's ascension to the White House. We get an account of Bill and his education at Oxford and Yale, where he quickly hooked up with what Tyrrell calls the "Coat and Tie Radicals", which are those New Left hippies that smoked dope and engaged in Marxist thought on the weekends, but spent the rest of their time carefully cultivating their public image so as to land good positions in government, law and corporate America. Tyrrell shows that during the time between the 1960's and the 1990's, these Commies never changed their attitudes or beliefs. They simply waited through the Reagan years for their chance to impose their warped values on America. Their beliefs can be summed up in what Tyrrell calls the "kultursmog", a choking mess of touchy-feely and Marxist/Socialist ideas that clouds traditional American values. Tyrrell continues his assault on the Clintons by showing their financial scams, their rabid pursuit of power over everything else, how they are products of the corrupt "Ole Boy" network of Arkansas politics, and how the first year of the Clinton presidency, 1993, was an utter disaster for America. Tyrrell outlines all of the scandals and flubs that made the Clinton presidency the most corrupt and inept administration in American history. Tyrrell also looks at Clinton's childhood, throwing aspersions on Clinton's mother Virginia, who is portrayed as a loose woman without any morals. He also points out that we can't be sure who Clinton's father really is.

A separate chapter offers a treatment of Hillary Clinton and reveals the true colors of our illustrious First Lady. She is exposed as a closet Communist who clerked for a well known Marxist lawyer who defended the Black Panther Party. Hillary also edited a journal at Yale that was extremely hostile to authority figures. One edition depicted police officers as racist pigs who should be killed. Hillary's infamous behavior is also closely detailed. Apparently, our First Lady has a temper problem, and likes to heave objects in fits of volcanic anger.

Tyrrell explodes the Clinton mythos and shows them to be two black holes in power suits. The portrait painted here reveals them to be grasping, petty, manipulative power seekers without a shred of decency. They dragged America through the mud, and the country will forever be stained by the Clinton legacy. And this was written in 1996, well before the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal broke.

It's important to note that Tyrrell uses an astounding vocabulary throughout the book. Words such as foozle, avuncular, and lumpen predominate. The style is also extremely snide and can get pretty ugly. Tyrrell pulls no punches in this treatise, and liberals will scream bloody murder while reading this, if they can finish it in the first place. It is, without a doubt, a polemic, and should be read accordingly. I have to give it five stars for its sheer audacity. I'll read it again. ... Read more

Isbn: 0895264390
Subjects:  1. 1946-    2. 1993-2001    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Clinton, Bill,    6. Political corruption    7. Politics and government    8. Presidents & Heads of State    9. U.S. President    10. United States    11. Biography & Autobiography / Presidents    12. Clinton, Bill