This is book intended to garner sympathy for a thoughtlessly self-centered young woman who did not know enough to keep her mouth shut when it counted the most: whenever a man has his pants unzipped and whenever a secret is best kept to yourself. This person still does not seem to understand the gravity of the situation she helped to cause, namely, the impeachemnt of the President of the U.S. and the betrayal of his friends, family, constituants and collegues. All she does is whine about the treatment that she was subjected to as a result of her tawdry fling. She still misses her "Handsome", the man who used and manipulated her and then discarded her like yesterday's newspaper. One has to wonder what it would take for this girl to get the picture that all the men she's known so far have used her for one thing only and yet, she inexplicably longs for them and remembers them fondly. Monica needs to find some way for men to relate to her other than her "comfortable sexuality." Monica is a very beautiful girl who is not fat and undesirable. Her opinion of herself is seriously flawed. She needs to impose a vow of chastity upon herself before she destroys any more lives of wives, children and unborn babies. I write this review as a pro-choice advocate and a person who can no longer stand to look upon the face of Bill Clinton. I think Monica should learn a lesson from Joe Di Maggio and just keep it to herself. I, for one, would not like to travel the length and beadth of the earth being known only as "the queen of the BJ". This book did not change my perception of her one bit.

I highly recommend this book, as I found it to be an excellent read. I wanted to read the book so I could see exactly how the Independent Counsel's office treats people targeted by it. I found out by reading the book that it was much worse than I thought, and I was disappointed that this happens in America. Regarding Monica's personal behavior, people are commonly of the opinion that Monica Lewinsky shouldn't have had an affair with a married man, shouldn't have shown him the top of her thong, shouldn't have done a lot of things. I wonder if the most intimate, secret, private lives of these common critics would stand up to similar scrutiny. She made mistakes, and the book tends to be somewhat apologist, but any woman reading the book who was ever young and in love with the wrong man, and found herself unable and unwilling to extricate herself in a healthy manner, will be nodding her head throughout the book. I think that people who are so quick to judge should step back, take a breath, and think about the mistakes they have made in their lives and be thankful those mistakes were not specified in explicit detail before Congress, and broadcast live on CNN. The greatest thing I took from this book, though, was a true fear at the lack of checks and balances in the Independent Counsel statute, and how Orwellian the system really is.

This is the infamous book on Monica Lewinsky, the President's mistress.

While the reason that I picked up this book was because I didn't have anything else handy to read, I surprisingly found the book a fascinating read. The book does not cover the scandal as much as the people behind the scandal. The book portrays Ms. Lewinsky as a lost young woman who happened to fall in love with a married man, who happened to be the president. Ms. Lewinsky portrays President Clinton not as the womanizer Judge Starr and the media portrayed him as, but as a man, who had a poor marriage and was lonely. Judge Starr was portrayed not as the man looking for truth and justice as I though he was, but as a cold, thoughtless person only looking after his own personal, political agenda.

The only downfall to the book is that everyone knows how the story ends. However, I became so engrossed in the book because it focused on the people of the scandal, not the scandal itself. It changed how I thought about the major players in the whole affair.

While I found the book fascinating, the book is not for everyone. The story is yesterday's news, and many people would rather the whole thing just went away. However, if you want to see the scandal from a point of view other than the mass media's, I would highly recommend this book.

Only hard-core Clinton supporters need purchase this ridiculous diatribe. It is astonishing that Marvin Kalb actually pats himself on the back for personally witnessing, but not reporting, the scandalous behavior of JFK as president. Then, reasserting his liberal roots, he chastises today's press for reporting Clinton's disgusting behavior, which left a stain on more than the Oval Office carpet. What Mr. Kalb conveniently dismisses is that the "personal life" of any White House occupant becomes MY business as a citizen when it predisposes said occupant to potential BLACKMAIL and ensuing corruption. Any behavior which must be covered up because it is embarrassing or destructive to the office or the nation, should not be engaged in - period. It is frightening to think about the implications for this country if JFK were in office today. Reportedly, he liked to swim nude with several women in the White House pool, had a long-running sexual relationship with Judith Exner (the girlfriend of a major Mafia boss), had frequent rendevous with Marilyn Monroe, etc. - all while married to Jackie, of course. With today's advances in espionage and the tight- wire act required to placate rogue nations, we need every break we can get. JFK was a prime target for blackmail, as was Clinton with his "mentoring" sessions with Lewinsky and his late-night phone sex calls on an unsecured line! It is the press's responsibility to report to the people any blatantly out-of-control politician, particularly the president. If politicians disagree, let them ply their "personal lives" elsewhere.

Well, Marvin baby tries to do a good job. Unfortunately somewhere he lost his way. I simply did not understand the point he was trying to make. In one way I thought it was a "mea culpa" for Clinton, and in another way it was in regards to how trashy news reporting has become. Maybe it was both, but definitely trying to make heads or tails of this book is challenging. That he started with his episode with Kennedy didn't help his thesis one bit. He mixed apples and oranges and ended up with kiwis -- and I'm not sure yet if they are fruit or vegetable. That's the way I feel about this book too.

The first thing to understand about ONE SCANDALOUS STORY is that it is itself a story. Marvin Kalb is an excellent storyteller. A seasoned journalist and professor, Kalb is expert in taking information and presenting it in an interesting and compelling way. He succeeds in doing that here, which is no small accomplishment as, at first blush, there's not much more to be said about the Clinton-Lewinsky story. Beyond the way her writes, Kalb does add a new, or at least neglected wrinkle, which is the scandal of how the story was covered.

Kalb's dissection of journalism's treatment of the unfolding drama in its earliest days is what this book is really about. Kalb explains early on that he was looking for a subject to use as the centerpiece of a discussion about a number of observations he's made over his career about the impact of the press on public policy, how television affects politics and related topics. As the name of the book implies, the developments over the past 30 years, culminating in the Clinton-Lewinsky story, are not good.

Kalb's account explains how coverage of the Clinton-Lewinsky story drove the sequence of events. He demonstrates how poor sources, reporting of rumor, and saturation coverage magnified the significance of what was actually happening. Kalb does not justify Bill Clinton's bad behavior, but he makes the point that coverage of that behavior was all out of proportion to what else was going on in the world - and how that coverage wasn't very good anyway. (An interesting "other" development was the US-Iraq showdown of 1998. The thought occurred to me that the Clinton-Lewinsky story could have derailed the American public's preparedness for a larger confrontation - sort of a reverse 'wag the dog' phenomena.)

Kalb is at his very best when he picks apart specific reports and bring a magnifying glass to the transcript of actual stories covering the Clinton-Lewinsky tale. My only criticism of this book is that there isn't enough of that. Where ONE SCANDALOUS STORY replays what happened between Clinton, Lewinsky, Ken Starr, etc. it takes away from its exploration of how the story was actually covered.

I also don't think that the end of ONE SCANDALOUS STORY is the end of the story. If coverage of Clinton-Lewinsky represented the culmination of the press's degeneration, it also hastened the subsequent further decline. Coverage of the 2000 election results, if anything, one-upped Clinton-Lewinsky in terms of bad journalism, and in a different but important way, coverage of the 2003 invasion of Iraq represented the complete meltdown of the kinds of journalistic standards Kalb is so concerned with.

Hopefully, Kalb is thinking along the same lines and another book is forthcoming. His point is too important to be made once.

Much as I treasure the right of free speech and a free press in our country, I have real reservations about anyone assigning themselves the job of being the biographer/interpreter of a political figure.

After reading Gail Sheehy's latest book, I've got to say I lost respect for her. Although well-written, as usual, throughout I felt "creepy-crawly" to imagine what a connection would be like with a well-known writer who takes it upon her self to tell us who Hillary Clinton "really is," after establishing a personal friendship with her subject. As a friend, I would never speak to her again again. I would feel most certainly used. I would feel that my life was simply useful to her as a means to exploit me for profit and celebrity. This strong feeling overrode, for me, my appreciation of the book's good writing.

It looks like the book will receive wide reading and recognition. I would say to the reader, keep in mind, this book was written for entertainment and money, disguised as "educational and compassionate." After the flurries settle down, I wish the best possible outcome for Hillary.

Hillary's Choice by Gail Sheehey 2000

A Balanced Portrait (five stars)

I think Gail Sheehey has done a remarkable job of combining her interviews, the second hand sources and published materials in preparing this portrait of Hillary Clinton.

This book most certainly will raise Hillary's ire because it is not entirely flattering, yet it is not a condemnation of Mrs. Clinton either.

I think Sheehey is quite fair in her overall account of Hillary Clinton's life.The book was an excellent read and kept me engaged as a reader.

Mrs. Clinton is certainly no innocent in the political world and in her personal relationship with Bill Clinton.

I have to remark that my views of Mrs. Clinton have wavered over the years of the current Presidency. At the start I had the impression she was an overbearing individual who indeed did want to engage in a co-presidency with her husband. Our system is not designed for a co-presidency and we elected Bill Clinton for the position, not Bill and Hillary. As a result I found her to be a bit hard to take as the first term went through its first two years.

I did support her wide-ranging vision for a National Health Care Plan and was sorry to see it fail for political reasons.

As she was taken out of the loop (at least publicly) in seeming to be at the helm of the country with Bill Clinton, I found her public behavior more appropriate.

Over the years my attitude toward Hillary has waxed and waned. This of course is how I interpreted this woman from how I saw her through the eyes of the abundant media stories about her.

I believe Sheehey offers a substantive and psychologically well nuanced portrait of Hillary. Overall, I don't feel much sorrow or admiration for the woman. She is an individual who wants to play in the big leagues and she has indeed had that opportunity. She hasn't been softened by the experienced -- rather, she seems to be an angrier and yet more determined politician who certainly doesn't intend to end her stature as a woman of high visibility with the close of her husband's publicity. She wants more -- for reasons I can't quite fathom.

All in all, I believe the Clintons are both highly dysfunctional people who continue to overachieve in order to hide their own scars. It appears they will do so at any cost; sadly using the currency of other human beings without much regard.

While there have been accomplishments during this Presidency, I am certain that this country has not deserved what it has been dragged through as a result of two unhealthy individuals with enormous amounts of power.

Daniel J. Maloney

I have had the dubious pleasure of reading and rereading quite a number of works addressing the life and times of Hillary Clinton.
While I am not a great fan of Billie, I must admit to sort of an admiration for Hillary. Be-that-as-it-may, I enjoyed this book. It was well written and I thought pretty well ballanced. Many of the "facts" presented, will have to be tested by time, but for now, I feel they are probably as close to the truth we will get.
Ms Clinton is certainly one of the more fascinating individuals of our times and I am quite sure history will continue to judge her as such. She is an interesting subject. In many ways, she is us. The author of this book is an interesting writer and between the author and the subject, we get a very interesting story. Thank you Ms Gail for writing it.

As a foreigner who has seen the US from abroad throughout the last decade, I must say I was very disapointed by this book. How is it possible to create so much garbage and put it indise a cover, and then get it sold?!!! For a long time I followed the US-debate over the Clintons. And for a long time I thought Hillary Clinton's acusations about a conspiracy was a bit over the top. But after reading this I am in no doubt: The Clintons have recieved a lot more negativety than they deserve! And thruth be told, Bill Clinton was a leader we in the rest of the world had confidence in. He was though on behalf of his nation, but he was a leader in wich we felt trust.

For readers with only a passing interesting in Bill Clinton, this is a short, succint book that you can complete in a day. But for readers looking for bigger game, read "First in His Class" by the same author. That book is the best Clinton biography on the market, covering his life from childhood to his 1992 presidential run. This book was published just before Clinton's impeachment by the House. The author gives some new insights, going through the president's August 17 confession line-by-line, and interprets its meaning. You sense Mr. Maraniss's frustration and obvious disappointment with his subject. But at the same time, he maintains a hue of fairness and objectivity that is badly needed when compared to other Clinton books. Mr. Maraniss will help you understand Bill Clinton, but the truth is that no person can fully understand this true "enigma."

Maraniss did such a good job in his full-scope Clinton biography ("First In His Class") that if you've read it you'd (almost) be able to come up with a summary of your own to explain his 4-minute speech, which is nominally the subject of the Clinton Enigma. There's very little new in this book to be missed if you have not read it. What is new is in the first 13 pages (Chapters 1-4 of the first part of the book), where Maraniss mentions his own experiences with Clinton (or rather: the lack of them) when trying to arrange an interview with him, immediately prior and also after his biography was published. The manners and maneuvers Clinton and his aides applied and Maraniss' reaction provide a valuable supplement to understanding Clinton, but also Maraniss.

The weakness of this book for those who have read the biography is also an advantage for those who haven't and if you are not as interested in Clinton to devote yourself to reading 500 pages of the biography you will appreciate its summarized version in the Clinton Enigma.

I don't even know what Bob Barr's contribution to this piece of trash was - considering he's a racist, lying, philandering little midget who is one of the biggest hypocrites around. and he's probably illiterate too!

As a gigantic scoresheet on Bill Clinton's abuses of power and why people at least _ought to_ care about them, this book is right on target. But as a valid predictor of the future or a handbook for practical action, this book does not qualify. And as a novel, _Huckleberry Finn_ it isn't. It is, in the end, wishful thinking.

Tyrrell's major handicap is that he is trying to move from the realm of journalistic editorship to the realm of novel-writing, and simply doesn't have the skills for it. Simply put, Mark Twain he isn't. When I read a novel, I expect an in-depth study of the characters and the situation. I expect to be told not just _what_ the characters do, but _why_ they do it. And the "why" inevitably goes much deeper than "that Bill Clinton may be a scumbag, but he's _our_ scumbag," and is definitely more complicated than that.

But instead of depth of characterization and background, I get Barney Frank and Charles Schumer acting like Rush Limbaugh's favorite caricatures of them. I also get Sonny Bono behaving as though he were once again doing one of his television shows, instead of participating in arguably the most _serious business_ of all our lives--and again, with no explanation of Sonny's behavior. And I get thirteen Democratic "crossover Senators" who make the difference between "Guilty" and "Not Guilty" in the Senate--but with no, or scant, explanation of _why_ they cross over. Compare Tyrrell's Frank and Schumer with Twain's "King and Duke," and compare Tyrrell's Sonny Bono to Twain's Tom Sawyer, and you'll see what I mean.

I would certainly hope that the _real_ Bob Barr (who has just filed an impeachment resolution in the House in real life), the _real_ Henry Hyde, and the _real_ Orrin Hatch and Arlen Specter would make a better effort than this to (a) gather intelligence on the other side, and (b) make a coherent plan to win people over, through appeals to emotions either noble or ignoble. Tyrrell's book is not a plan. It is a wish. A wish that I myself will fully acknowledge sharing, but a wish nonetheless. And again, as a novel, it is far too pedestrian ever to take itself, or be taken, seriously.

The trouble is that I think Bill Clinton _should_ be impeached, and for the reasons that Tyrrell states, and for other actions and policies of his that are tantamount to treason. But by the time the professional book reviewers--which is to say, those who actually write novels for a living--get through with this book, they'll start such a drumbeat against it that the American people will lose its message in their disappointment in the finished work. And that's too bad for the country.

I expected this book to be an ultra-conservative raving against Clinton. Instead, I found it to be the best recap of every scandal (so far) that has swirled around Clinton. The fictional part is interspersed with copies of actual documents of prior hearings, White House memos, etc. This book should be required reading for all citizens, for them to see all in one place the myriad of abuses and coverups which we have allowed to happen due to our nonchalance and feeling of "everybody does it". The historical part of the book is irrefutable, and much of it are things I have never heard previously, or certainly never read about in the media!

Reagan and Bush told no lies? Keep dreaming

Methinks the self-proclaimed pillar of virtue named Bennett doth protest too much. He does casuistic cartwheels and Puritan pirouettes in order to project continuing Republican shame over Watergate onto the Clintons: a stomped-to-death tactic that does not, has not, and shall not yield another bitter grape, let alone the wine of salvation. Bennett's collage of Utopian morality, tired, glittering denials of human nature, and one self-replicating argumentum ad hominem after another speaks volumes about the hypocrisy, cynicism, and self-serving affronts to critical reason that will come to be seen as the true Reagan legacy. But why expect more of a failed "Drug Czar", who never quite succeeded in recovering from his addiction to tobacco? That anyone could take Bennett's death-knell of statesmanship and partisan harmony seriously suggests that outrage indeed is dead: The title says it all, if not quite as its author intended.

What more can be said about Bennett's book than the reactions to it from those on the left. Bennett knows how to frustrate those who defend the likes of Clinton: employ logic and analytic philosophy against them. Wonderful book by a man who lives the virtues.

A real disappointment in the non fiction area. Andersen portrayal of the Clinton's and their marriage leaves a lot to be desired. While Andersen does cover the scandals and portray Bill as a weak, womanizing man, he fails to reveal anything new. The Book is certainly for those who want more of the tabloid trash. This book lives in baseless innuendos and hopeful partial truths. The writer' style is good, but his ability to capture the reader will leave you regretting your purchase. The book has some interesting areas, Hillary's affair with Vince Foster, Clinton undisclosed medical records, but these are far and few between any real reporting. Andersen tries desperately to get the reader to look at the Clinton's as a normal family and he fails miserably. I think you would do better to save your money and wait for the movie. While Andersen may want the reader to think this cover new and undisclosed material, you find it shows you nothing new at all. The emperor's clothes are really off with book.

There has never been a marriage more controversial in the American public eye than this dynamic duo. Both Bill and Hillary Clinton have been rumored to have questionable personal lives since Bill was the Arkansas governor. While this has certainly been proven true, "Bill and Hillary" acts in the same fashion as "Year of the Rat" by Triplett and Timperlake in that it pulls all the punches and makes connections and assumptions that are iffy at best. While there is no doubt both Bill and Hillary Clinton have been proven to be not- so- faithful to their wedding vows, the idea that Bill engaged in cocaine use and street- side sex with a prostitute could not be based on anything more than hearsay. The accusations are certainly interesting, but much of them seem to be no more than sleazy yellow journalism.

Basically a "tell more book" because everything in the book just reinforces the scandals we all heard about. There is lot of detail covering the escapades of Clinton, but most of everything had already surfaced.

The marriage is a business partnership. Hillary needed Bill to get to the top (in the political world only) as she was her own smart person without him. He needed her, knew she was smarter and could help his career. They were a poor match for each other, so it was understandable that they have a "partnership marriage."

Bill's family life is best described as "twisted family history" filled with violence, promiscuity, adultery, divorce, bigamy, poverty, illegitimacy, and plenty of addiction. Hillary's father is said to have run his family "like a drill sergeant mentality that extended to corporal punishment." Easy to see why Hillary was "devoted" to him and understandable as to how she could be so "cold blooded" and dispassionate about love and true marriage.

Yes, Bill is and always has been a WHORNEY, pathetic soul who is addicted to sex! And Hillary has spent her life covering up or battling the press for him. I think Bill Clinton played with his own mind "trying to keep things from Hillary" but deep inside HE knew he could do whatever he wanted and she wasn't going to do a thing about it!

I can't get over his "jogging" shenanigans: He pretends to go out for his jog, has the taxpayers' troopers drive and follow for a block or two, gets a quickie on the road or someone's house, then drives back to the mansion, huffs and puffs into the office/home as if he did a jog! He gives Joggers a bad name!

Hillary and Bill - Quite a goonball pair! .......MzRizz

This book starts out giving Bugliosi's rather skewed view of the world, in which the problems of our society can evidently be traced to the fact that naughty girls where short skirts. Then he promptly proves how smart he is by telling us how right he was in his assessment of the OJ Simpson case. Given that he is obviously an unbiased source, how can one doubt? Of course, one might wonder what this has to do with the Supreme Courts decision in the Paula Jones case, and the answer is, of course, absolutely nothing. Bugliosi, truth be told, has no interest in the issue at hand, he is just excited about tooting his own horn and making himself seem important. Really, his whole argument in the Clinton matter is simply this, he is brilliant and everyone else is an idiot and we should feel blessed that he deigned to make any argument beyond this at all, given that he so much smarter than everyone else. I did not pick up this book expecting an unbiased discussion of the issues surrounding the Supreme Court's decision to let the Paula Jones case move forward, but I did expect it to be reasonable. It certainly is not. Bugliosi's argument (in as much as it exists at all beyond the 'I'm so smart' posturing) despite his denials is; The President Is Above The Law, no more and no less. He never seems to acknowledge that even if the Presidency is as important as he asserts (and it certainly is not clear that it need be) it does not automatically follow that the President himself is irreplaceable. What would have happened if Clinton had handed the reigns of government to Gore (who after all, was duly elected along with Bubba) to concentrate on the Paula Jones case? Would the World have been turned on its head? It seems unlikely, considering the similarities of their outlook. Worse than the weakness of his arguments, of course, is his colossal arrogance, evidently all the justices of the Supreme Court are idiots, as is anyone else who disagrees with his assessment of the issues. Such dismissive arrogance makes the book insulting and frankly unreadable. Better he just published a book that said simply, I AM RIGHT and YOU ARE AN IDIOT, it would be more honest, and frankly more interesting.

I have to chime in and agree with what most people are saying here. When he sticks to the point of the book, which is that the Supreme Court erred when it let the Paula Jones lawsuit proceed while President Clinton was still in office, this book is excellent. However, Mr. Bugliosi wants us to believe that this is merely an example of a whole society that's gone "insane" (using rap music, Ivan Lendl, and navel piercing in support of his argument). Hello? Is there an editor in the house? Bugliosi or his editor or someone should have made him stick with the Court's decision and left the rantings to letters to the editors. Fortunately, the book's not that long so it's a quick read. I'd recommend skipping the first section, though, which is just an irrelevant screed.

Bugliosi begins with an irrelevant social commentary.When he gets to the subject,he makes his point well.The Jones v. Clinton decision of the Supreme Court was a tragic mistake,a travesty of justice that has forever altered the balance of power in the three branches of government,and may do untold harm in the future.

Any fair reading of the FERERALIST PAPERS leads one to conclude that the founders could not have intended for a federal district judge to have the power to compel a sitting president to answer a civil suit.Bugliosi uses Fed.69,by Hamilton,to argue that a sitting president could not even be arrested for murder without first being impeached and removed from office.
Bugliosi correctly sketches the true meaning of the case.The Supreme Court now views itself as the "first among equals" and wields the power of judicial review to assert iteslf against the other two branches,with no repect for precedent or original intent.
Bugliosi also takes on the question ignored by Mr. Clinton's lawyers:the need of Mrs. Paula Jones' interests to be balanced against the interests of all other Americans.Even a soldier undergoing basic training enjoys "temporary immunity" from lawsuits,but the President apparently does not.
On the negative side,Bugliosi's writing style is colloquialistic and unfocused.He can sometimes depart from sober analysis and launch into hyperbolic editorialism in the very same sentence.There is too much slang,and too much "tough guy language",and this does not serve to support his thesis in a meaningful way.
I believe that the Rehnquist Court has waged war against the rights of private citizens and against the traditional balance of the separation of powers.Bugliosi argues convincingly that the latter is,at least,the case.This book was written before the Clinton Impeachment.A revised edition is now in order.However,the legal reasoning would be the same.

Gennifer Flowers had a lot to say. Unfortunately, this book is mistitled. It contains excellent historical data and shows the light side, the dark side and an ongoing dishonest side of a President of the United States of America. Gennifer is believable. She has been vindicated in more ways than one.

I read this book as a skeptic. However, in spite of a lot of sleazy details I found Ms. Flowers very believable. Hats off for having the courage to write this in-depth look at the dark and seamy side of this man.

In this remarkable account of her years as the President's mistress, Flowers reveals not only her penchant for whore-like sex with the rich and powerful to the American public, but more importantly, she reveals her brilliant talent for producing great literature as well. Surely, this book will go down in history as one of the great historic documents ever produced by mankind.

The book explained little of Air Force One, or how it deals as a flyiny White House. Its a lot of small mittle tales about this guys life for two years.

Ken Chisteter has three good things going for him. He is from Indiana. He graduated from Indiana University. He is a Democrat and worked for a great President. He is not, however, the gifted writer one would expect from the Ernie Pyle School of Journalism. Chitester's book, while bearable, is one of the worst "insider" stories I have ever read. Ken IS an insider, and it is obvious that he enjoys this role. Unfortunately, he spends more time telling readers what he ate for lunch than what he did for the President. If you care about the Presidency, don't read this book. If you are interested in the menu aboard Air Force One - this is the text for you.

I have worked on political campaigns professionally for many years and always wondered what it would be like to work for the President. This book opened my eyes beyond the glamour of the West Wing and let me ride along motorcades, helicopters and of course Air Force One. If you are interested in what goes into moving the President and his staff this is the book for you. A great read for any political junkie.