Peter Baker's book, "The Breach" takes you inside the caucuses and meetings of the various parties involved in the impeachment process of President Clinton. It provides tremendous detail through interviews with the major players; one even senses that the participants wanted to get their version of things on the record and were willing to talk with Baker to fix their place in history. The details of the various strategies and counter-strategies used by the two sides are fascinating. The dilemma in which Trent Lott and Tom Daschle found themselves is particularly interesting and one can almost feel their sense of relief when the process finally ended. Baker has dug deeply to provide us with this information and he is to be congratulated for his attempt to be neutral on so controversial a subject. The evenhandedness of his reporting is evident throughout the book.

There are weaknesses to the book, however, and these begin with no first-hand accounts from Bill and Hillary Clinton. Secondly, Baker relies exclusively on first-hand accounts which, in effect, means taking politicians at their word. The work is, thus, skewed toward depicting the House members as totally moral, and conscientious individuals doing their best for their country with no partisan motives. Much of the bitterness and pure partisanship of the times is absent. Because Baker simply reports these conversations, with little or no analysis as to the motives of the players or interpretation of the events, he lets these politicians stake out the moral high ground and the political dynamics of the process are completely lost. Because of this, one comes away not understanding why Bill Clinton remained a very popular president throughout the event.

In sum, this is a book that should be read and there is much to be learned here about this sorry episode, but a complete evaluation of the process and the political dynamics will obviously wait til later.

I found Peter Baker's account of the impeachment saga to be both factual and fascinating. It holds your interest like a novel, but could easily be used in a Political Science class. In fact, I think it would be wise for anyone who is contemplating a future in politics to read this book. Future historians will use this account as they try to understand what really happened during the impeachment and trial of President Clinton. As hard as I tried, I could not figure out Mr. Baker's political leanings. Specifically, It was interesting to read how all the parties interacted and maneuvered to get the outcome they desired. Both sides often overplayed their positions as soon as they felt they had the upper hand. This is a great read!

The Breach is a highly readable and faithful history of the six months between August 1998 and February 1999, during which time occurred the almost surreal impeachment and trial of President Clinton. Mr. Baker has woven a narrative which is built on a mountain of documentation, including interviews, court and Congressional transcripts, diary entries, e-mail exchanges, etc. Drawing on his obvious talents as a journalist, he is able to distill the spin and partisanship from the documentary material so as to render an account of these volatile events which is about as objective as one is going to get. The hopes, fears, desires and intrigues of all the parties involved during the crisis--particularly the White House, Democratic and Republican members of the House and Senate--are all laid bare in this book. Although the author is pretty evenhanded, it was impossible for me (a lifelong Democrat) to read this narrative and not come away with a healthy distaste for the unrepentant Mr. Clinton. In the epilogue of The Breach, shortly after his acquittal in the Senate, Mr. Clinton states in an interview that he is wholly unashamed of being impeached; indeed, in his view, he feels he ''saved the Constitution'' by standing up to the dark forces arrayed against him (presumably the Independent Counsel and the House Republicans). However, notwithstanding the well-chronicled machinations and vituperations of both Democrats and Republicans, The Breach, by dint of its sheer objectivity, makes all too clear who was the sole author of our Nation's impeachment woes.

This is a short, enjoyable read that reprints a series of essays written by Ms. Barlow during the course of the Clinton presidency for a magazine called Chronicles. Each article is essentially another analysis of the character manque of Bubba and his First Lady Macbeth spouse, Hillary. Ideally these essays were better read at the time, because the political events that inspired each are only mentioned in passing. What compensates for this lack of context is the astonishing psychological insight into the personality of our worst First Couple that came as a revelation even to this long time observer of the Clinton years. This is the best description of the personality flaws and dynamics of Bill and Hillary that I have ever seen in print. Even if you think you understood these two, as I did, you will find nuances and hidden dimensions to their motivations and methods that you probably have never thought of or read elsewhere.<>
My only criticism of this book is that it is too much of an intimate character study, brilliant as it is. These essays beg to be rewritten and expanded, to take into account how the flaws in the Clintons' character (and marriage) translated into specific missed opportunities and lousy political decisions for our country. This is a story that has not yet been properly told, nor has the full damage of the Clintons to our political institutions and the respect for the rule of law been made clear to the public. If Ms. Barlow would connect her personality insights to what was actually done - and not done - at the time, this would have been a world class political book.<>
One example, on "gun control" will suffice. The Clintons ran the most antigun administration in our nation's history and even some gun owners have yet to realize how far they were willing to go to nullify the Second Amendment and defang the Bill of Rights. In 1995, Clinton signed the Safe and Drug Free Schools Act which outlawed the possession of a loaded firearm within 1000 feet of any public school receiving federal funds. Prior to this capstone of Sen. Diane Feinstein's legislative career, we had exactly two school shootings in our nations history or one every century or so. After turning our schools into gun-free zones, we had over a dozen schools shootings, of which the one at Columbine High in April 1999 became the most lethal. Was it possible for an avowed policy wonk like Clinton not to recognize that this law was producing the exact opposite of its intent, that it was making our schools less safe and more dangerous? Yet when Wayne LaPiere of the National Rifle Association tried to point out that Bill Clinton may have been willing to have people killed in order to further his antigun legislative agenda, he was vilified by the media. This kind of cold-blooded political ruthlessnes is possible only in a President who has something missing in his own humanity. This is only one example where Ms Barlow would have done her readers greater service by connecting the dots for them, particularly since the national television media scrupulously avoided any mention of the clear pattern of failure associated with the Safe and Drug Free Schools act or how an American President sat in the Oval Office while we had shooting after shooting in our schools and made no move to amend a clearly counterproductive law. And this is only one example on one topic; the Clintons' inaction during the breakup of Yugoslavia would have been a book in itself, resulting in a far greater loss of human life, all of it preventable by a President with the courage to act early on. It would be a great service to the public to have developed the pattern of how the Clinton Presidency took a pass on such missed opportunities and how the pattern is explainable only as a complete lack of character in the incumbent.
This is what Christopher Hitchens tried to do with his book, No One Left to Lie To, but I believe Ms. Barlow could do an even better job if she would concentrate more on the Clintons' policies and how these grew out of their mutually flawed personae. It is my hope that she will go back and turn these insights into a full fledged analysis of the Clinton admininstration and how these two sociopathic parvenues dragged the Presidency and the Federal Government down to the level of a small, failed Southern state, both ethically and politically. Now that would be a read.

I am a Clinton hater. At least that is what I have been labeled by the mainstream, Clinton worshiping media and the many people I know or have spoken with who seem to believe that if you disapprove of anything either Bill or Hillary have ever done, either professional or personal, then you are simply a narrow minded, judgmental, basically evil person who can't come to terms with the fact that the Clintons are brilliant, dynamic, and...cool. According to these people we should feel lucky that the Clintons have graced us with their wisdom, and if we're not, then we're simply out to bash them for no good reason. I mentioned the word judgmental earlier. This is a word that, in recent years, has become synonymous with evil. It seems like there used to be a time when it was okay, even expected, to disapprove of a man compulsively cheating on his wife with women young enough to be his daughter. The reason this is no longer accepted is because the Clintons have created the "everybody does it and if you say you don't then you're lying" mentality. In this book, Mrs. Barlow perfectly describes and disects this mentality, poking giant holes in the glowing media coverage of both Bill and Hillary, and yes, even weighing in with her own personal (some would even say judgmental) opinions. Eight years ago I knew quite a few people who were very supportive of Clinton. They were thrilled that he had been elected and were more than ready to defend his sleazy personality, which, if you think back, had already fully exposed itself even before he took office. As the years wore on and the scandals and lies piled up, these people stopped defending him on a personal level but remained firmly behind him from a professional standpoint. Now that we have reached the end and Bill has left office in a storm of pardon scandals that embarrass even his most dedicated supporters, these people have grown very quiet. They don't even talk about "moving on" as so many people are fond of doing when it comes to Bill and Hillary. They are simply quiet, too smart not to realize that this man is indeed a monumental phony. There were many arguments I had with these people in which I got confused and tongue tied, unable to fend off the creative wordplay that Clinton himself had perfected in his own defense. I only wish I had had this book then, so I could hand it to them and say "this is what I mean." The writing is quick, concise, and most of all, funny. All those thoughts you "Clinton haters" had (or have) swimming in your heads that you can't quite articulate are articulated here. This is not to say that Mrs. Barlow simply bashes away at her subject. She is analytical and intelligent, showing not only why Bill and Hillary are a uniquely awful cultural phenomenon, but also how the mainstream media essentially played the fool for these people. It is amazing to read some of the quotes from columnists that the author responds to. It is also amazing to read some of the quotes from Hillary's speeches. We have been told so many times that she is basically the most brilliant woman ever tht we are quick to accept it. This book very specifically takes these assumptions apart. My only complaint would be that the book is too short. I want more!

I don't pretend not to be a "Clinton hater". Almost everything they have done over the past eight years and beyond has disgusted me. Therefore I am predisposed to liking this book. That being said, the book is useful for anyone who is even the least bit skeptical about these people and what they stand for. It says exactly what I have been trying to say for eight years, and it says it calmly, precisely, with dignity and restraint. This book gets to the point. If some people think it is judgmental, I wouldn't call them wrong. Maybe it's just time we all realized that that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Read this book.

Even as a life-long democrat, I always knew Bill Clinton was a phony, but I didn't think he was the low-life his critics claimed he was. So, I was reluctant to read this book. I'd heard enough Clinton-bashing. A friend of the author convinced me to read the last chapter, and I ended up reading the whole thing. Mrs. Barlow does her share of bashing here, and, as a collection of essays written over several years, the book seems a little uneven and disjointed in spots. But, having seen from Bill and Hillary what we've seen during the last several weeks, I think Janet Barlow has said something unique and accurate about these people. For all the good they have done, I believe they don't have any real concept of patriotism. Which isn't to say that they are unpatriotic, just nonpatriotic. It's all about them, in the end, no matter what wreckage they leave behind. It's kind of sad, really. Barlow's sense of humor keeps you chuckling along the way, however, and the book is a quick read. I recommend it to other Clinton supporters out there who are ready to take a fresh look at these two people we've defended so steadfastly since 1993. Not every observation in this book is original, but many are, and the author writes beautifully.

I found this book to answer the mystery of the Iran-Contra/Mena, Arkansas drug smuggling operation. Having read "Under Fire" by Oliver North and this book I find it quite obvious who's lying. Terry Reed, a CIA operative, who thought he was serving an honest government, is compelled to expose the corruption that he himself encountered. Whereas, Oliver North in his book COVERS it all up. We should be thankful for Terry Reed's courage to bring this information out. This book corroborates the documentary, "Mena Cover-up". A man who follows his conscience should never be bound to secrecy when that secrecy only hides corruption. May more COURAGEOUS men and women who have vowed "to secrecy" STAND up!

If you like Tom Clancy, here's the real deal. A former Air Force intelligence officer turned manufacturing engineer, pilot, and independent business man is recruited by the CIA (Oliver North) to assist in the training of Contra pilots in Mena, Arkansas. His name is Terry Reed, and does he have an incredible story to tell! This American patriot reveals everything after the CIA tried to screw him after Iran-contra. Plenty of very interesting information about Clinton, Bush, the Arkansas elite, covert CIA operations, CIA super-agent Barry Seal, money laundering, international narcotics trafficking, and CIA influence in the US political system.

Reed claims to be an eyewitness of collaboration in 1986 between Clinton and Republican CIA under Reagan/Bush/Casey. Claims Clinton was offered U.S. presidency in exchange for his continued cooperation in Arkansas contra training and drug smuggling. Offers good credentials. Reed's credibility has stood up in federal court. If substantiated, this book forces U.S. citizens to consider whether their own CIA is manipulating their elections and their media

David Maraniss has written a gripping account of Bill Clinton's rise to power. It is a testament to the quality of his work that there is no feeling of partisanship. The picture that emerges is one of a thoroughly determined, charming and intelligent individual. Maraniss examines also what kept him motivated and more precisely, who. Detailed accounts of his mother and stepfather, of Hillary and his peers are invaluable to help us understand this highly complex character. What I found most interesting about the book was the extreme emotions that I felt about Clinton. At first, one can only feel admiration and respect for the southern boy who made his way to Georgetown, Oxford and Yale Law with the brightest in the country. However, power corrupts and as Clinton starts his political ascension, he becomes less and less of a sympathetic character. I couldn't give this book five stars for a variety of reasons. While accounts of education and early life are undoubtedly useful guides, Maraniss should have focused more on Clinton's political career. It only starts roughly three quarters into the book... Finally, the book ends with Clinton announcing his candidacy for president in 1991. Surely, we could have gotten a glimpse of the toughest campaign of his life. Nonetheless, brilliant book which you should buy to understand the man who has presided over such prosperity and created such controversy.

This well-researched book is a fair, balanced account of Bill Clinton's life, up to the time he announced his candidacy for president. Maraniss has presented an excellent portrayal of an extremely complex man. This book really doesn't make Clinton any more or less likable than he ever was, but we do get a lot of background information to help us understand what propels Clinton and why he has made some of the choices he's made; for example, we get a lot of information about Clinton's feelings about Vietnam and how it came to be that he didn't go.

The most interesting parts of the book for me were about Clinton's family relationships, particularly his relationship with his mother and how she had such high expectations for him from the very beginning. We really can see how this relationship shaped his life, and how much he wants to please people.

I doubt this book will change your opinion of Clinton, whatever it may be, but it will certainly give a more complete picture of an enigmatic man.

"First in His Class" is the best in a huge pile of books on the forty-second president of the United States. I appreciated Maraniss's ability to keep himself politically neutral throughout the book and he did an excellent job in recreating President Clinton's life through interviews with his wide networks of family, friends, and enemies. Of course, after reading Maraniss's book the reader has to confront the question: Who is Bill Clinton? And, to put it frankly, is he a good man or a bad man? The conclusion I reached is that while Clinton is not a great man in a personal (Lincoln, King) or historical (Napoleon, Lenin) sense, he is far from a figure who should be maligned. In fact, even in the height of the Lewinsky scandal, he remains a man worthy of admiration. Bill Clinton was determined even as a young man to take residence in the Oval office and he accomplished that against often impossible odds. Putting aside his incredible ambition for the moment, he is a person with a quiet and undeniable honor as well. His strong feelings concerning civil rights and Vietnam in the 1960s can not be explained by political shrewdness but only through deep moral concern. In conclusion, Maraniss' book is a must-read for the political junkie. Your opinion of the president will be more comprehensive even if it is not much-changed.

I don't read much non-fiction, but I couldn't put this book down. Susan McDougal's courage was absolutely amazing. It would have been so easy to give Starr's zealots the lies that would have kept her free, but she didn't. She made poor choices out of misguided loyalty, and she paid dearly for them. I admired her frankness in admitting her errors in judgment and never looking for the easy way out. Bravo, Susan!

This book is one of the most important books I've read in years and I urge everyone to read it. What Susan McDougal tells us about the right wing zealots who threw her in jail because she refused to lie about Bill Clinton is truly a story that needs to be heard loud and clear throughout our land. Surely there is a special section of hell reserved for Ken Starr and his henchmen and women.

McDougal's voice rings true and clear, and she is laugh-out-loud funny. Clearly, her sense of strong humor was one of the many great character traits that helped her survive in the various prisons that the Office of the Independent Council dragged her through in their quest to make her tell lies to suit their own self interests. And the stories she shares of the women she met while encarcerated are truly heart-rending and equally deserving of your attention.

Most of all, this is the story of a woman who finds her own strength in the most harrowing of circumstances. Even if you're not interested in politics one way or the other, you should read this book

Susan McDougal, a truly remarkable woman, has written a remarkable book. One is not often treated to examples of moral heroism in this day of "what's in it for me", but McDougal's story deserves to be read by every person in America who has ever wondered why they should do the right and painful thing in the face of powerful enemies and overwhelming temptation to save one's self at the expense of another. This is a tale of heroines and heroes, of good friends and false friends, of villians and the lowest scum to ever stride a court room. Ken Starr and his cronies, and those in various jails and federal prisons who tried to assist him in breaking the spirit of this courageous and honest woman, have much for which to answer. If there is a god who metes out punishment and reward at the end of our days, I would not want to occupy Ken Starr's, or any number of other OIC prosecutors' and FBI agents' coffins. Buy this book and read it. Read it to your children and your grandchildren. It will make you all better people, and it is a hell of a good read and a lot of fun!

Whether your predilection is liberal or conservative, you must agree that the death of Vincent Foster was most unusual. Christopher Ruddy focuses on these unusual circumstances in a compelling narrative that reveals the possibility of obstruction of justice both within and outside the White House. I read the book cover to cover without putting it down. The thing I liked most about Ruddy's treatment was the fact that he did not confuse the reader by inserting his own beliefs into the book. He states the facts, but doesn't draw the obvious conclusions. He allows the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. If you like a good murder mystery; if you like a good conspiracy drama; if you like to believe that someone still cares about the Constitution, you'll like this book.

Christopher Ruddy has written a well-documented account of a very disturbing incident. You will no doubt be amazed at some of the facts that he mentions.

For instance, Foster's eyeglasses were found about 20 feet from his body. Sounds logical: he must have thrown them before the suicide. But actually, the glasses had gunpowder residue on them.

It was also claimed that Foster walked through Fort Marcy Park, which consists of a dirt path. Of course, no dirt or grass stains were found on Foster's shoes.

The Park Police searched Foster at the scene and found no keys on him. But his 1989 Honda was parked there. Later, at the morgue, not one but TWO sets of keys were found on Foster. A nurse there said that Messrs. Livingstone and Kennedy arrived before the Police to identify the body.

Or the gun. When Foster's wife was shown the gun, she said she didn't recognize it.

I could go on and on. Read this book and find out the truth. It's an excellent piece of work.

The book was exhaustive at the time of it's writing, but new examinations of the evidence have added new revelations to the case. This book will open the eyes of anyone who wants their eyes opened. I lays out all the evidence that (1) The Clinton white house manipulated the crime scene, and (2) obstructed the investigation. Where did all those crime scene photos go? Why did Nussbaum, Thomases, and Williams enter Vince Foster's office 18 times the eve after his death? Ruddy answers these and other questions with much detail. My only criticism of the book is that it seems to have been written hastily and is very disorganized.

Before I review this book, I have to confess my belief that Bill Clinton is the most solidly corrupt person to ever hold the office of president, including crooks like Harding and Nixon. So, naturally I'm inclined to believe the worst about his sordid administration. That doesn't mean, however, that the book isn't true. There is certainly enough documented information here to warrant a full-scale investigation of Chinagate. Unfortunately, Attorney General Janet Reno, herself a likely crook, went out of her way to derail and even prevent such an investigation from happening. The very fact that Reno went to such lengths to protect the man who appointed her is a good indicator of how serious these charges may be. This book uncovers a whole web of shady deals involving a number of underhanded foreign agents, American businesses, and Clinton friends or administration officials. I won't go into all the details, but if this book is even 75% true, one almost has to conclude that Bill Clinton and Al Gore are guilty of either extreme carelessness or outright treason. This book is definitely not impressively well-written, but it will certainly capture the interests of angry Republicans (that's me) and open-minded Democrats. Besides, Timberlake and Triplett are investigators more than they are writers. Most extreme liberals and even many moderates who supported Clinton will dismiss this book as just another Lewinsky-like sabotage attempt on the part of "Clinton bashers" or "the vast right-wing conspiracy." And therein lies the problem with how most of this country views politics: we have become so excessively ideological that we no longer have the conviction to condemn corrupt politicians who we agree with on the issues. I'd like to think that, had I been alive at the time, I would have rooted for Nixon to be ousted from the presidency back in '73 and '74, even though I would have been a supporter of many of his policies. I'd also like to think that if Clinton were a conservative Republican with the same lack of ethics, I would still want him out of politics. As the authors of Year of the Rat tell us, Chinagate is a far worse and more politically damaging scandal than Lewinsky could have ever been. Though Clinton's corrupt handling of these issues may threaten the future security of our nation, the American (liberal) press was largely uninterested and this country's citizens were too busy watching Survivor or some other similar lowest common denominator fare to demand answers.

Every one who has read this book must be absolutely disgusted by the hypocricy of the White House and the manipulative filtering of news committed by the main stream media. The authors have layed out a very compelling case against both Clinton and Gore, proving they have betrayed the interests of the U.S. and its allies in exchange of illegal campaign monies from China. The stories about Lewinski, the other Jane Doe's and Danny Williams are trivial compared to the serious danger into which Clinton and Gore put the world by helping the People Republic of China modernize its Army and allowing China to export Weapons of Mass Destruction to the worst enemies of humanity. The book is very well-written and every allegation therein is supported by references to official reports and media news accounts. At the end, the reader feels helpless, realizing that the main stream media is not reporting seriously about these outstanding offenses, and the book has not received the exposure it deserves in the media. Fo this reason, I am going to buy multiple copies of the book and give them to friends.

Every American owes it to themselves to read this book. Future generations will ask was Lewinsky more important than the " The Year of the Rat" One must come to the reality that the PRC thinks in terms of generations and decades not like we Americans who look at tomorrow as a future. Their clandestine work paid off in spades,China for years worked at inflitrating our system of Democracy,in the Universities, Press and Media Just look at their agents they sent from Asian nations who acted on their behalf. The book reads as a who's who in Corporate Asia. How about the Congressmen and women who we elect and so strongly support the China propaganda of open markets. Our leaders in Congress have sold out the American's in every trade policy for decades. No this is not a right wing review it is the truth Read this book before you regret not reading it. After spending trillions in defense of our nation since WWII the politicians sold out for pennies on the dollar. While Clinton professes that for the first time in years our children can go to bed knowing that their are no missles aimed at America He did forget to add that the USA's Loral and Hughes corporations made sure to make him a liar!

Beginning in late 1993, I began to read news reports in my local newspaper, the San Jose Mercury News, which contained serious but unsubstantiated allegations about an Arkansas land deal known as Whitewater and the possible criminality of the President and his wife. There seemed to be quite a few of these "news articles" and I began to wonder if all of that smoke did not have a substantial fire at its center. Four years later, I start "pulling" the articles on Whitewater and by now, the numerous "Gates" being investigated and reported on in the daily newspapers, from the archives of the Mercury News and about twenty other Knight-Ridder newspapers across the country. One of the things I learned that a large proportion of these stories were by four reporters -- Jeff Gerth and Stephen Labaton of the New York Times, Michael Isikoff and Susan Schmidt of the Washington Post.

This was an interesting experience, and can be duplicated by anyone reading these words. This is what I discovered: In the San Jose Mercury News alone from October 31 1993 to March 31, 1994, there were a total of 163 stories. Of these, 158 had been published in a 106-day span of time from December 16, 1993 to the end of March, about 1.5 stories a day or two stories every three days. It became even more interesting when I "pulled" the "Whitewater" and "Madison Guaranty" stories from twenty Knight-Ridder newspapers in the 62 days from October 31,1993 to December 31, 1993. There were no less than 83 unique items, about 1.3 items a day, and of course many of the newspapers were publishing identical stories during this time. When you look at the coverage in this way, it looks more like indoctrination rather than reporting.

What were the sources of these unsubstantiated allegations? Joe Conason and Gene Lyons describe these sources in The Hunting of the President as a loose cabal of "longtime Clinton adversaries," "defeated politicians, disappointed office seekers, right-wing pamphleteers, wealthy eccentrics, zany private detectives, religious fanatics," and in my view, the primary culprit -- "die-hard segregationists. . . . " Here, as in the rest of the book, Conason and Lyons restrain themselves from going beyond what they can prove or substantiate from sources -- a demonstration of journalism as it should be practised in this age of "infotainment."

But this cabal had a powerful effect on this country and its politics because as Conason and Lyons tell us in detail, the once-respected New York Times and Washington Post not only published unsubstantiated allegation after unsubstantiated allegation, they also withheld any exculpatory information. Like sheep, the rest of Mainstream Media passively followed.

And here is the real danger the authors expose. The cabal was the source of the allegations which acted as toxins poisoning political discourse in this country. But the Mainstream Media was continuously pumping these toxins into the blood stream of America. Without the criminal carelessness and disregard of the Mainstream Media, the press, the TV, and talk radio, the cabal would have affected only a small hate-filled audience on the right. Instead the poison was spread throughout the country, and into every metropolitan area, city and small town.

Conason & Lyons provide a well documented description of the tactics that were used to discredit President Clinton. Now, I'm of the opinion that Clinton went a long way to opening himself up to these attacks, however the fact remains that the attacks were vicious, well funded, well coordinated, and effective. At the end of the day, these attacks on the president were successful, if we can define ruining the public image of a sitting president as success. In the end America suffered as a result of this, and we owe it to ourselves to understand what really happened. This book is a good starting point, but you will need to read it with an open mind, since it will likely contradict much of what you have seen in the media.

Thank you, Joe Conason and Gene Lyons. I pre-ordered your book before its release and just ordered a 2nd copy (didn't want to give mine up) for a friend. Reading it gave me reason to hope that perhaps genuine investigative reporting is not extinct. Your exhaustive research documented in the source notes clearly proves that the relentless, unfounded allegations against the Clintons gained credence only through unchallenged, unending repetition in tradional, respected print media. This book is a must have/must read wake up call for all those who still believe in national news outlets, who still think if it's printed in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The LA Times, etc... then it must be so. Among the many sad revelations of this book is the general devolution of the news media and the frantic race to the bottom, to be the first to expose a scandal, real or imagined, no matter what the sacrifice to truth or ethics. Anyone reading this book will forever after challenge those who report on or analyze the national political scene with such questions as: who are you, what/who are your sources, what are your/your sources' grievances, who's padding your pockets? For anyone wavering, consider the poignant final words of Vince Foster (recounted on page 84): "I did not knowingly violate any law or standard of conduct. No one in the White House, to my knowledge, violated any law or standard of conduct... The FBI lied... The press is covering up the illegal benefits they received from the travel staff. The GOP has lied and misrepresented its knowledge and role and covered up a prior investigation... The public will never believe in the innocence of the Clintons or their loyal staff. The (Wall Street Journal) editors lie without consequence. I was not meant for the job or the spotlight of public life in Washington. Here ruining people is considered sport." Read this book and understand how true and telling those words really were and are.

Like him, love him, or hate him, few could deny that Mr. Clinton is an interesting and complex individual. President Clinton's need for and ease with personal contact with practically any person comes through loud and clear through these behind-the-scenes photos of Robert McNeely. Clinton's comfort with small children and world leaders comes through wordlessly in these photographs and they present a different view of Bill Clinton's political life and presidency heretofore not seen in the media. I believe this coffee table book of photographs would make interesting viewing and reading for anyone who, like me, is intrigued about a person who became President.

This is a beautiful book documenting the life of a President. The photographer, Robert McNeely, did a great job in choosing photographs that depict the life of a president. It is apparent that McNeely choose shots that he thought would draw a reader into the book, versus standard press shots or pictures that have ran in thousands of magazines and newspapers. I was a disappointed that McNeely didn't elaborate more on the pictures and tell about the events that led to the picture being taken or what happened after the picture was taken. McNeely does give some insight into the Clinton presidency in the endnotes of his book. In all a great book and a different view of the presidency.

Beautiful black and white photographs that document the many aspects of the human side of President Clinton. Each photograph tells a story, perhaps unlike the Public Relations story we have been fed.

I was impressed with the nonstaged real life messages these pictures unfold. Many photographs you would otherwise never see and therefore may know of a small section of the Clinton years.

As much as I enjoyed the gala events and the black tie functions that are part of this collection, I also enjoyed the more relaxed normal everyday shots. So much has been said about the marriage of Hillary and Bill Clinton, negative things, these photographs show many one on one personal moments. It would be hard to view these pictures without coming to the conclusion that these two people are quite fond of one another.

Overall this documentaion of photographs shows an all around man both from a Presidential angle and from that of simply a man, a human being.

Well done and makes for a nice slice of history and an excellent coffee table book. A great conversational piece!

Let's tell the truth about our security under the Clinton administration. It has been compromised and this president has sold out this country in the name of campaign cash, in the name of contempt for the armed forces of the United States, and the pretense of convincing the American people that we are living in an era of increasing global peace when the facts clearly distinguish otherwise. We say that we want our politicians to tell us the truth. Well Bill Gertz, though no politician, has done more than make assertions, he has proven it. Using documented evidence from our own intelligence community, including the testimony of those who have risked much to expose this feckless leader's deceitful bongles, he demonstrates just how the Clinton White House has, and continues to sell out this country's national security to advance its own political agenda.

Gertz shows that the legacy of the Clinton years has been to cover up certain unpleasant facts about his foreign policy fiascos and to appease enemies who are determined to bring down our way of life. From Clinton's dealings with Russia, that poured hundreds of millions of US taxpayers' money into their so-called disarmament programs, to his compromises with the communists in Beijing, to the bombing of Iraq, we have been betrayed.

This book should cause all Americans to ask some serious questions that some of us don't want to face. Why has this administration refused to build an anti-ballistic missile defense shield for our country? Why, in fact, did Clinton's white house help to destroy what remained of President Reagan's famed Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)? Why has this administration continued to compromise our secrets with China, allowing them to develop nuclear technology that they are now aiming at American cities? Why are we now in a growing situation with China that could lead to them becoming our main enemy in this century? And it's all thanks to William Jefferson Clinton. These appeasements are a violation of his oath to defend us from our enemies, and we need to have the guts to call them by their proper name. Bill Clinton has assaulted this country by his treasonous betrayal of our national security, and it's time we woke up to it.

Gertz deserves high praise for this work, and he's not just punching rhetoric, he's got the paper trail and the testimony to prove it.

This book chronicles national security issues with regards to China, North Korea, Russia and Iraq. The book is highly readable and well researched. It is important for Americans to better understand these issues. North Korea, Russia and China have the ability to hit the USA with nuclear missiles. These same countries are actively selling nuclear missile technology to Pakistan and to enemies of the USA in the middle east. Bruce Ritter and many other patriotic Americans were blocked in their attempts to protect America. Clinton betrayed the American people in a potentially unfixable way. If these issues are not addresed now while there is still time to police these activities, then one day soon it is likely that the USA will be attacked with nuclear weapons. There are many Anti-American types in the democratic party who would say that the USA deserves to be attacked. If this is how they feel they should leave the USA and try their luck somewhere else. Let us thank God that we finally have some real leadership with our new president Bush as well as his advisers Rumsfeld, Powell, Cheney, Rice and Mueller.

Bill Gertz is probably the foremost authority in the United States on American-Chinese relations. During the Clinton years Gertz kept America informed, through his brilliant articles in The Washington Times, regarding the Administration's ill-advised "policy of engagement" with China, a policy which, at the end of Clinton's eight years in office, had served to permit China to aid rogue nations in the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and to improve its arsenal of ICBMs, many of which were aimed at us, while aiding Mr. Clinton's Hollywood contributors and several unscrupulous high-tech corporations as they developed markets in China for their products.
As the author of "The China Connection," I was particularly interested in Gertz's carefully researched Chapter 5, "The Long March Forward" in which he describes how several American high-tech corporations, all huge contributors to the Democratic National Committee and to the Clinton Re-Election campaign, enabled the Chinese to not only greatly improve their commercial space launchers, but also to make their nuclear-tipped intercontinetal ballistic missiles more reliable. In my novel, "The China Connection" meticulously researched fact-based fiction, I show, through the actions and dialogue of characters, most of them based upon real people, the bankrupt moral and political philosophy behind the Clinton Administration in this area. I explain how moral relativism combined with political expediency can be dangerous characteristics when joined in politicians and others in positions of power who lack high moral standards. Yes! Character does count, and so does integrity, when electing our leaders.
I recommend "Betrayal" highly. After you've finished, I suggest picking up "The China Connection" as a painless, even enjoyable way of learning about the problem of moral relativism and how the actions of our former president strengthened the Chinese and endangered America during his years as president and far into the future.