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Behind the Oval Office: Getting Reelected Against All Odds by Dick Morris
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Dick Morris Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published) Published: 1998-11-16 ISBN: 1580630537 Number of pages: 646 Publisher: Renaissance Books
Book Reviews of Behind the Oval Office: Getting Reelected Against All OddsBook Review: Captivating Read....And I Can't Stand Bill Clinton Summary: 4 StarsI was expecting a "Bill Clinton is a genius" book and prepared to dislike it. I've never cared for Clinton because the guy is so obviously out for himself - and at the same time decrying people for that very trait. As a President, Clinton confused personal victories with leadership (need I say impeachment?).
But regarding the actual race, I want to say that this book reads better than almost all of those campaign journal books by Teddy White and Jack Germond/Jules Witcover - and especially those of Elizabeth Drew. Morris makes clear his admiration of Clinton while leaving the reader with the conclusion that Clinton had a split personality - Morris calls one the policy wonk and the other the Eagle Scout.
Morris is NOT a conservative. Anyone who gets on his case about that is seriously misguided. Yes, he was (perhaps is) a Republican, but he covered that in detail, too. After all, how many people voted for BOTH George McGovern AND Ronald Reagan?
The book left me captivated as Morris clearly understands the ideological differences between the two parties. I think Morris is on somewhat less stable ground that the GOP would never nominate a Colin Powell, but I agree with virtually all of his other points.
Sadly, Morris hubris sunk him. Readers will remember that during the 1996 campaign, Morris got caught with a hooker and thrown out the door. Given Clinton's peccadilloes, I would think this behavior would get Morris nominated VP. But give Morris credit - he blamed himself and ONLY himself for that one.
The one bad thing out of the book is that Morris did the entire country a disservice by getting Clinton re-elected. While Morris may have felt that it was the right thing to do at the time, history shows Clinton to be just the way Morris saw him in his book - weak and namby-pamby and without a central core of beliefs of what he actually wanted to do as President. This is unfortunate given how history unfolded: if Clinton had had some guidance and actually run on issues of what he was going to do (that was tough since he did almost nothing he promised in 1992), he would have had some political cover when the Lewinsky scandal broke.
The book is must-read for political junkies or for somebody who wants to know Bill Clinton from the inside.
Summary of Behind the Oval Office: Getting Reelected Against All OddsThis new edition of Behind the Oval Office contains an insightful an devastating new interpretation of President Clinton's character and career. Also included are actual agendas Dick Morris used for his briefing sessions with the president. The Justice Department subpoenaed them during its investigation of the president. Kenneth Starr used them to build his case. Now released to the public for the first time, these remarkable sources provide a rare inside look into White House meetings. The agendas are a virtual diary of how Morris, armed with his polling data, helped Clinton outmaneuver his adversaries and overcome his mistakes-creating policy as a potent cocktail of ideals, opportunities, marketing strategies, and aspirations sold to the public in brilliant advertising campaigns. Given the call-girl scandal that ended Dick Morris's career as Bill Clinton's chief political strategist, maybe they should have called this one "Under the Oval Office." The book is recommended because in Clinton's "Wilderness Years" of 1994 and 1995, when Newt Gingrich's Republican Revolution was in full flower, Morris undeniably had Clinton's ear. And what he was constantly whispering in it--that the president should effect a strategy of "triangulation," in which he would disassociate himself from both the Republicans *and* the Democrats in the Congress--proved winning advice. After all, Clinton was reelected even though both houses remained Republican. But perhaps it's a mistake to claim, as Morris does, that the scandal should be separated from his job performance. Wasn't it a case of not only compromising his position, but compromising principles as well? Isn't this the real danger of relying on nonpartisan political consultants?
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