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: the Jones 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.

This is a powerful book. As a social and economic conservative member of the "vast right-wing conspiracy", and a psychologist, I feel vindicated by Michael Isikoff, as I was by David Maraniss. My from-a-distance impression based on Isikoff's and Maraniss' books, along with media coverage and my personal observations, suggests that President Clinton shares a personality disorder with many politicians on the "vast left-wing conspiracy" side of the aisle. This disorder fuels their reach for power, prestige, and control, in the name of "democracy and justice". Clinton's personal war on the Serbs is a symptom of this, and his possible, dissocial and narcissistic personality disorder, as illuminated by Isikoff. Clinton's abuse of Monica Lewinski, Paula Jones, Kathleen Willley, et al, and attacks on powerless people such as Linda Tripp, and his blatant insult of the U.S. Constitution and the justice system by his lies and coverups are also the result of this possible personality disorder. To a greater and more dangerous degree, this personality disorder dominated Ted Bundy and his behavior. I knew Bundy for a short time. Like Bill Clinton, he was charismatic, charming, manipulative, handsome, and very intelligent. Clinton's fun-loving and crowd-pleasing ways are assets in the same entertainment field represented by buffoons the like of Rivera and Flynt, but not in the U.S. Presidency. I see his public demeanor as a facade which may well cover up a lot of deeper and more deadly psychological motives and mental processes. Thank you, Michael Isikoff for further examining this very complex and potentially dangerous politician. Personally I never did trust Clinton and I am enraged that he is hiding behind his Serbian War to cover up his own failures as a man and human being. In this highly readable and must-buy book, Michael Isikoff validates my distrust. To both the "vast right-wing and left-wing conspiracies", and all the rest, I say, buy and study this book.

I barely followed the whole Monicagate story. I watched not one minute of the impeachment trial. Why not? Because it didn't interest me and I'm a Clinton supporter. I cant stand the rightwingers who were out to get Clinton. But this book is amazing. I read it in two days. It puts the whole story together for you and it made me realize that a pretty sick dude is running our country. Isikoff is totally fair. Although the reader develops new sympathy for Paula Jones, the villain of the book has got to be Linda Tripp. And Clinton. But the bottom line: this book is so well written and so engaging that I recommend it to Clinton admirers and Clinton haters both. Although, I gotta say, it's hard to be an admirer after reading this book. Bravo, Isikoff!!