The lovely Ann Coulter has made a very convincing case for why Bill Clinton should have been impeached and removed from office in this book. I am a conservative, but surprisingly liberal on some social issues, so I definitely not a member of Hillary's "right-wing conspiracy,", and I have a lot of respect for the office of the President, regardless of which party is currently holding it. However, I do believe that Clinton's multitude of scandals, particularly the sordid Lewinsky affair, have degraded the standards of the office, perhaps irrevocably. Coulter's books has strongly reinforced that opinion. I am docking the book one star for an offensive reference to assassination and the fact the Coulter is sometimes a bit repetitive in her arguments (this book could have been about 50 pages shorter with some tighter editing).

Coulter lays out the more visible aspects of Clinton's corruption, lies and loathsome character in this well-written and well-researched book that is both snappy and substantive.

Her discussion of the history of impeachment is highly informative, and something that was never conveyed in the media. Guess what? Historically, almost any sort of bad behavior was considered justification for impeachment.

Coulter also does an excellent job of clearly laying some of the major scandals for which Clinton was not impeached. Her discussion of Whitewater, for example, was the first place I'd seen a succinct and coherent discussion of what that was really about. Hint: it was not just a land deal gone bad. Same for Chinagate, at least as it stood at the time she wrote the book. In case you forgot who John Huang is, this book will remind you and give you key facts to help you appreciate that we have a traitor in the White House.

The book also does an excellent treatment of serious abuses of power which everyone should know about and for which Clinton should be ejected from the White House, but which are largely unknown except by political afficianados. For example, a huge number of conservatives, conservative organizations and other enemies or perceived threats to Clinton have been audited by the IRS. As Coulter points out, one of the most serious charges against Nixon was that he thought about using the IRS to audit his political enemies (though he never actually asked anyone to do it). Clinton has clearly done it in spades. The book is filled with enlightening comparisons of Nixon and Clinton that show Nixon was a cherubic angel compared to Clinton.

Part of what made this book so enjoyable to read, besides it being highly informative, is that Coulter is very funny. Her witticisms spice the book rather nicely, in my opinion.

I've heard from good sources that the House Judiciary Committee staffers and Henry Hyde were reading the book when impeachment was getting underway. If it's good enough for them, it should be good enough for you.

My wife recommended this book to me and, I must admit, it is the MOST astute analysis of the Clinton impeachment saga that I have ever read. Ann Coulter (who I had never heard of before reading this book) describes the founding fathers' rationale for impeachable offenses in a way that finally explains why Nixon could have been found subject to impeachment (depending on what the President knew and when he knew it), and why Clinton MUST be found impeachable (being the sole instigator of impeachable actions). This thoughtful, considered, and factual analysis is a far cry from Col. Cornball Carville's highly touted "And the Horse He Came In On", which simply attempts to outshout the opposition with blatently false and probably liable (definitely lie-able) accusations. Congratulations to Ann Coulter. I have since learned that she has often appeared on Rivera Live, and I am certain that I will soon know much more about her than I did before reading this book. Thank goodness there are some thinking people left in America!

War in a Time of Peace is a well-written account of several foreign policy challenges that faced the Clinton administration. The book has sparked debate both on the role of US foreign policy and popular interest in international affairs. To supplement understanding of this complex topic Robert Kagan wrote an excellent, and lengthy, review of this book- expanding on many of the issues Mr. Halberstam raised. Mr. Kagan explores the Vietnam Syndrome effect on policy makers, its resulting impact on military intervention during the 1990's, and the motivations of public support for military intervention. A combined reading of Mr. Halberstam's book and Mr. Kagan's essay is esential to understand the breadth and direction of U.S. foreign policy. The essay "When America Blinked" is available online (. . .)

Halberstam expertly chronicles American foreign policy after the fall of the Soviet Union. He starts with the end of the cold war under Bush senior, when the cold war ended, America no longer wanted to worry about foreign policy. Unfortunately President Bush did not realize this. Bush and his people ran his election campaign poorly and lost to Clinton.
Clinton believed that he could ignore foreign policy. He had no interest in it and he ended up with the wrong though very capable people, in the wrong places. Clinton did not specify goals or methods. He did not give any direction to his subordinates until the new administration realized that foreign policy could effect the all important image of the administration.
Halberstam explores in depth what happened when some people wanted to intervene against Serbia and the President did not want to. He details the decisions and relations between the people who made the decisions. He also describes the people and their background, explaining why the people made the decisions they did. Halberstam also spends some time discussing the disaster in Somalia and the events in Haiti.
Halberstam's book is a veritable who's who of Clinton's administration. He describes the strengths and faults of many people, some barely known in Bush administration as well as Clinton's , without favoritism to either party. Halberstam lauds Republicans such as Colin Powell as well as Democrats such as Bentsen. Halberstam's descriptions of the individuals does get a bit tedious at times, but it always is informative.

I had a professor who defined journalism as "history written in a hurry." In his sequel to The Best And The Brightest author David Halberstam uses the journalist's tools - personal interviews and background research - to explore how the shadow of Vietnam and the Cold War shaped the United States' foreign policy during the 1990s.

What emerges, is a thoughtful, portrait of the United States from the perspective of its foreign policy decisions. It is a book written for thoughtful citizens; a book that, clearly, was not written in a hurry; a book that unearths the struggles, egos and the political maneuvering among the key figures in The White House, the State Department and the military. Halberstam shows how the decisions of Vietnam War Veterans, like Colin Powell and Anthony Lake, and those who were not, like President William Clinton, influenced American politics and policy.

Lesser-known players who contributed to the picture were not overlooked. Halberstam notes that the irony of the Gulf War was the wrong branch of the service and the wrong military leaders were celebrated at its conclusion. Norman Schwarzkopf and Colin Powell received ovations for their humiliation of an allegedly mighty, but now bedraggled Iraqi Army.

If one man was responsible, he notes, it was an innovative air force strategist, Colonel John Warden. At the time of the Gulf War, Warden was the head of a top-secret air force group working within The Pentagon and represented a group of younger military officers who were eager to adapt military thinking and planning to the uses of the new technological advanced weaponry.

The major opposition to his thinking came not from the army or even civilians, but rather senior officers in his service branch, especially three and four star generals attached to the Tactical Air Command. They believed the airpower was there to support the army on the ground. They despised Warden and his ideas. As luck would have it, when General Schwarzkopf requested an air plan for Desert Storm, Warden's senior officer was on leave and the request found its way to his desk.

Roy Gutman, an American reporter who happened to be in Yugoslavia in 1991 and was starting to write what would be a series of prophetic dispatches for Newsday, the Long Island, New York daily, is another unknown player. Stationed in Belgrade from 1973 to 1975 as a Reuter's correspondent, he had embraced what he termed as "the golden age of Tito", a Serbo-centrism that tempered the vision of many western diplomats and journalists.

On his return in 1991 he saw signs that Yugoslavia was becoming a different country. An interview with Vojislav Seselj, an ultra nationalist Serb who had once been jailed by Tito for his ethnic views and was known for his personal cruelty, convinced the journalist that something sinister was about to happen with its likely epicenter as Banja Luka, a city in Northern Bosnia, which time which prove to be the home of the Serbian campaign of ethnic cleansing.

Halberstam's search for the real story behind the headlines gives the reader clear insights into why events in the Balkans, Haiti and Somalia reflect American foreign policy and politics. He discusses the wariness of the U. S. military to ever be caught again in a ground war lacing clear objectives, the frustrations of political leaders who never served in the military and their effects on American commanders in Kosovo.

On the last page of the book, the author allows himself a glimpse into our future, which in light of the events of September 11, 2001 proves tragically prescient. Writing in May, 2001, Halberstam, allows himself to speculate about the need for a missile shield, what he terms "a high-tech Maginot Line, the wrong idea at the wrong time." He notes that intelligence analysts believe "the threat to an open society like America c[o]mes from terrorists, rather than the military power of rogue states" which themselves present an exceptional target.

The author has carved a unique niche for himself. His books are the product of four to five years of research, a luxury few, if any other journalists are indulged. The emerging portrait of the United States is vivid and full of human detail.

Whenever folks start crying,"Foul!" we should all look long and hard at what's bothering them so. The truth hurts much more than "conspiracy theories" and the cries have started, as well as the smearing, right here in the reviews. Evans-Pritchard lays out a well-documented, well-attributed laundry list of crimes committed by and for Bill Clinton and his various administrations. The book never contends that bombing Ok City was Clinton's idea; it never even says that covering up the alleged bungled sting was his idea, but, as president, Clinton is responsible for the actions of Federal law enforcement officials. This book will, at least, make you think differently about some of the things our mainstream media has said concerning these events. I think we will hear many more cries of, "Foul!" from the Left.

I have to admit that I'm no friend of Bill Clinton. Although I voted for him in 1996, I've since had a sea change in attitude towards Mr. Clinton. Even with my new attitude, I've avoided reading the slew of books that have made serious charges against Bill and Hillary, mainly due to a lingering liberal sentiment that these accusations just can't be true. With Bill almost out of office, I decided to read a few of these accounts. This book, by British journalist Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, levels devastating accusations against the first couple. Bill Clinton is linked to the Oklahoma City bombing, the death of Vince Foster, and drug trafficking.

Even though I despise Bill and Hillary, I'm leery of some of the charges made against them in this book. The first section of the book takes an in-depth look at the Oklahoma bombing. Evans-Pritchard blames the American far right, placing his focus on Elohim City, a Christian Identity compound in Oklahoma. He also uses evidence from ATF informant Carol Howe, who lays the blame for the bombing on several people, none of whom are Tim McVeigh. The FBI, for whatever reason, obsfucated the evidence and testimony so that the other people involved in the bombing would never be brought to justice. I can't really see how this can be linked to Clinton. The president simply can't be involved with every covert investigative action that the government takes. Evans-Pritchard seems to blame Clinton for creating a culture in which this kind of behavior (FBI tampering with evidence) is not only allowed, but condoned, and with that I would agree. But to try and tie Clinton in a more direct manner is impossible.

Of much more concern is the weird case of Deputy White House Counsel Vincent Foster. Foster, a childhood friend of Bill and co-worker at the Rose law firm with Hillary, was found dead in Fort Marcy park in 1993. The evidence laid out in the book will chill your blood. I was so astonished at the overwhelming evidence of foul play, that every time I turn on the T.V., I can't believe the news media isn't talking about it. The amount of eyewitness testimony, as well as intimadation of these same witnesses, should be raising serious questions about this case. Evans-Pritchard also shows how our news media is absolutely worthless when it comes to investigating anything about Bill Clinton. I'm pretty sure we can expect the same treatment of Senator Hillary Clinton.

The final indictment that is laid at Clinton's feet involves the Mena drug trafficking operation. Evans-Pritchard tries to tie Clinton into the Iran-Contra affair of the Reagan/Bush regimes. He's on tenuous ground with this one. It is well known that the Iran-Contra arms deals were part of Reagan's administration. Bill Clinton was governor of Arkansas at the time, but it is a far stretch to tie Clinton into the scandal. I think we need to be careful anytime there are investigations into the shadowy world of intelligence/undercover operations. There are too many lies and layers of lies involved. I'm not saying that these incidents should never be investigated, but journalists, like Evans-Pritchard, should be very careful about making concrete conclusions from his findings.

Overall, an excellent book. I'd definitely want Ambrose on my side if I were in any kind of trouble. I trust his instincts, and most of his allegations smack of the truth. I'll bet Bill Clinton absolutely hates this guy!

A well written expose of the many scandals surrounding the Clinton administration. Many on this review forum have complained that these "stories" have appeared elsewhere. Fact is none of them have appeared in any great detail in the mainstream press. The Oklahoma City bombing cover up has been helped right along by the mainstream press. In fact, it was The New American magazine that broke open the story regarding the cover up in Oklahoma City by federal and state officials.

The mainstream press has not wanted to touch or deal with the Vince Foster affair, drug dealing in Arkansas under Clinton's eye, etc, etc. An excellent read for anyone looking for more depth regarding the Clinton scandals than what you'll find in Time, Newsweek, or the New York Times.

I read this book many years ago (when it first came out), and have since read it again. Seeing the way that Special Agent Aldrich was treated by the Establishment press made me understand what a powder keg of a book it really was! Aldrich was easily dismissed then; but I wonder if his revelations would be as easily cast aside now with the impeachment done with, and yet more scandals looming that could cast a pall on Vice President Al Gore's run for the presidency.

When I read about the Christmas tree being decorated with drug paraphernalia, and stories about how Clinton administration officials weren't too concerned about finishing their FBI background checks (an absolute requirement designed specifically to weed out those who would do harm to national security). Such things have been the status quo of this particular administration. The way in which Clinton reacted to the Waco siege is particularly brow-raising in view of the evidence that has come out since (the use of flammable CS canisters was STILL not enough to bring about possible punishment of federal officers who allegedly lied about its use during the siege).

The reaction by Aldrich to Vincent Foster's supposed suicide is interesting in retrospect as well. Aldrich doesn't have much new to say to that, except when he regards the fact that Foster was not an imbalanced person in his view, and the agent contends that something was not quite right about the president's longtime friend killing himself (reporter Christopher Ruddy ran afoul of Clintonite spinmeisters by maintaining that Foster,indeed, was a victim of foul play. If it was complete tripe, why did Carville and other Clinton godchildren go after him like they did?).

I am well aware that the radical egalitarians and/or moral relativists out there will still call this book a piece of trash, and repeat the old mantra "the book a waste of a tree", or some such nonsense. But I wholeheartedly disagree. Aldrich's take on the Clintons (especially Hillary, who would throw a poisonous glance at anyone who dared look at her, or worse yet, say "Good morning!" to her!) is interesting, and presupposes the era of Monica and the subsequent impeachment on grounds of obstruction of justice and witness tampering (not...ahem...just sex...please...).

I will add to this that I do think Aldrich wrote the book because he disliked the Clintons, not just because of his conservative leanings, which are very evident. The book is deducted a star because I think it was too much a motivating factor; I would have preferred an expose based solely on what he saw. Keeping this in mind, read the book that first opened the eyes of many who wondered just how far the Clintons could go with the Scandal-of-the-Month administration they created.

Yes, folks, character DOES count. This book clearly shows why.

I absolutely love reading about the "most moral and ehtical" administration in history. Whitewater, Filegate, Travelgate, Chinagate, Buddhist monks forking over cash, special prosecutors, Paula Jones, Monica, Kathleen, stained dresses, phone sex, cigars, drug dealers at White House functions, impeachment, acquittal, and last-minute skanky pardons: now THAT'S entertainment! I kind of miss not having the Clintons around--there was never a dull moment, that's for sure.

I first read Gary Aldrich's book, UNLIMITED ACCESS, years ago, and have since reread it. The author, who was strong-armed out of the FBI after clashing with the Clinton administration, provides an entertaining read about widespread corruption, incompetence, and silly shenanigans on the part of the idealogues from Arkansas. From stonewalling background checks to abusing security access, the Clinton people made sure that every day was a bad day for the FBI staff at the White House. Aldrich relates so many anecdotes and accounts that I found myself in a state of disbelief (after all, there couldn't be that much corruption); yet, if only 10 percent of the author's allegations were true, that's enough to provide an eye-opener to even the most ardent Clinton-lover.

That Aldrich has an agenda--that the author has nothing but contempt and disgust for the Clintons--is more than obvious as the reader moves through this book. Some of the personal attacks went over the top ("Clinton has the face of a drinker."), and some of the "rumors" passed along by Aldrich are downright laughable (e.g., sneaking the President out of the White House so he could entertain his harlots at the local Marriott), yet the author presents enough firsthand information to make any reader question the competence and integrity of the new administration in town. UNLIMITED ACCESS is a refreshing "blast from the past," a reminder of the goofiness that was in power for eight years, and a sigh of relief that our nation no longer has to endure such embarrassment.

Finally got around to reading this book. Had this volume been written by anyone other than a decorated veteran FBI agent, it would be too incredible for belief! Rational people already understood that the Clintons were anti-establishment radicals being value corrupt elitists. This book highlights that fact, from inside the White House by an FBI Security officer and at close range!

Now, with the cascade of breaking NEWS about Chinagate and the President's apparent high treason in the Oval Office, Aldrich has been proven right. One of Gary Aldrich's major concerns as outlined in this book, was the Clinton's destruction of the critical White House security system. This not only allowed Hillary's dubious leftist anti-American cronies free access, but also permitted Chinese Communist agents, wanted international criminals and convicted drug dealers free entry via cash contributions with a direct route through the White House to the President of the United States.

The Clinton's devoted minions and hired media thugs worked full time to surpress this informative book and to personally savage Gary Aldrich.

Truth and ongoing revelation to Clinton's deep corruptions have turned the tables! Aldrich now stands totally vindicated and this book becomes even more relevant than when first published.

The Clinton's depressing legacy will without doubt be a lesson to all democratic people that they must maintain high standards in their choice of candidates who eventually become leaders. We must never again allow the type of low minded, polically corrupt and ethically bankrupt characters as are the Clintons to ever occupy the highest office of the Presidency and White House again.

Thank you Gary Aldrich . . .Your book is of good service and you sir, are an American Patriot!

The first in what I'm sure will become numerous accounts of the final days of the Bill Clinton administration, Barbara Olson presents a scathing and eye-opening narrative of the disturbing and at the same time fascinating closing of Clinton's 8 years in office. Notwithstanding Olson's untimely death aboard the plane that struck the Pentagon on 9/11 and the fervent rush to immortalize her, this book should still be popular years later for all who are curious about these final, confusing days. Written in "news-reporter" style, this story is based on solid reporting and research and stands as the definitive account of Clinton's actions as he vacated the Presidency.

This book covers approximately the last quarter of Clinton's term and documents one un-believeable story after another as Clinton embarks on a "pardon frenzy" while he and Hillary "loot" the White House of it's furniture, china...etc. Famous and not-so-famous recieve pardons as Clinton administers 140 Presidential pardons and 36 commutations in record time closing out his administration. Olson's enmity towards the First Couple is at times almost overbearing as she catalouges each Clinton action and the reasons why each was so repulsive. Hillary also recieves her share of the blame as Olson continues her vehement dislike of the First Lady (started in Olson's previous book "Hell To Pay") while documenting the absurd political maneuvering the Clintons performed while trying to get Hillary elected to the Senate.

Nmerous contemporary interviews are included that add depth to these charges, while also making for fascinating reading. For example, former Jimmy Carter Chief-of-Staff Hamilton Jordan states the following: " 'It is incredible that the ethical atmosphere of the Clinton White House had sunk to a level whereby the constitutional power of a president to issue a pardon was discussed among Mr. Clinton and his White House staff as just one more perk of office.' Clinton, he said, had disgraced and demeaned his office by treating the pardon power in the same manner as giving campaign contributors overnight stays in the Lincoln bedroom or flights aboard Air Force One. The Clinton's, he went on, 'are not a couple but a business partnership, not based on love or even greed but on shared ambitions...The Clinton's only loyalty is to their own ambitions.' "

A fairly fast read (I read this in a 4 day weekend while on vacation) and written in that news reporter "to-the-point" style, this account should be read by all who are even mildly interested in politics as it shows how the abuses of power have virtually destroyed Bill Clinton's legacy and continue to make Hillary Clinton's Senate term suspect.

I closely followed the daily news stories during the Clinton Administration and wondered if Olson's book would be only a simple retelling of Clinton scandals already too familiar. It is not and that is what makes it an engrossing read well worth the time. For example, in these times after September 11, 2001 we are concerned to give no quarter to terrorists, yet exaqctly two years earlier fourteen of sixteen convicted and unrepentant violent Puerto Rican terrorists from the FALN accepted a clemency offer made by Bill Clinton, in spite of the strenuous counsel and objections of every law enforcement agency and of Puerto Rican authorities, themselves. Clinton's unprecendented offer coincided with Hillary's bid for election as New York's junior senator and an effort to gain support in the Hispanic community there. Olson describes in detail the normal criteria for presidential pardons, gives a history of government policy toward Puerto Rican radicals beginning with the Truman years, and describes the reaction of both prosecutors and victims of those released to live freely among us. These things are background material we did not often get in our newspapers and TV news programs.

In more than eight years of the two Clintons we became numb to the daily dribble of news bits about scandals. Olson's book gives a good concise reminder of what the Clinton's were and are so that those who read it might not become seduced by their kind again. The book is especially good as a reminder of Hillary's determined ambitions to be powerful coupled with the extent of her Marxist indoctrination. This book is recommended reading for anyone who might be faced with the choice of voting for Hillary or Bill for public office. Now I am eager to read Olson's book on Hillary "Hell to Pay."

This is not a simple Clinton bashing book. It is a timely, well-documented reminder of the principles on which our nation is based and how even ardent supporters of the Clintons finally decried the many ways the Clintons flushed those principles down the toilet for personal gain.

The late Barbara Olson chronicles in expert fashion and honest conservative journalistic style the many horrific and unspeakable travesties perpetrated by Bill and Hillary at the tumultous conclusion to their 8 year co-presidency. I read in horror and shock as the business partnership, not anything remotely resembling a couple, that is Bill and Hillary, or PLOTUS and FLOTUS as Barbara succintly refers to them as, time and time again committed heinous injustices.

"Not since the opening of the gates of the Bastille have so many criminals been liberated on a single day." On his infamous last day as Commander-in-Chief, Clinton granted 140 highly dubious pardons along with 36 commutations to bring to a deplorable record grand total of 450 for his tawdry tenure of depravity. Olson masterfully documents the infamous Marc Rich as Clinton pardons the #6 Most Wanted Fugitive by the Justice Department saying that the biggest tax defrauder in U.S. history, who by the way had renounced his U.S. citizenship and was conveniently "living abroad" and whose ex-wife channeled countless donations and gifts to the Prez, was "wrongly indicted".

Among the shady and unscrupulous criminals pardoned were Bill's cocaine-snorting and habitually law-breaking half-brother Roger Clinton, as well as ex-lover Susan McDougal, drug king pins(whom Clinton had pledged to put away only 8 years ago apparently in meanignless campaign rhetoric, notorious cop killers, convicted anti-American terrorists, and a slew of other so-called unfairly indicted miscreants. Olson tells of the ostensibly coincidental(as Hillary calls it) DNC, Senate, and Clinton Library contributions and gifts well in excess of a million dollars that were gratiously received by Bill and Hillary in exchange for the unethical and as if it matters to Bill - highly illegal as well -quid pro quo deals for immunity and pardons. From the Secret Service's codename for Roger(Headache) to the White House Lawn Marines' refusal to right face when the draft-dodging, military-gutting Clinton walked past(and how they miraculously reconvened the first day of George W. Bush's tenure) are just a couple of the insider tidbits that the articulate and dearly missed Barbara Olson conveys to the reader in this entertaining and informative short read. The benefits and knowledge of the real & unadulterated truth - the stuff the liberal media conveniently let slip through the cracks - proves worth the little time needed to read this compelling book.

It is quite refreshing to see that honest liberals still exist. Christopher Hitchens, no friend of Hillary's imaginary "vast right wing conspiracy," takes great exception to the Clinton Era. And no, it's not just about sex. It's about rampant dishonesty and corruption - the selling of Commerce Department travel seats for campaign donations, renting of the Lincoln bedroom for re-election cash, selling of nuclear technology secrets in exchange for Beijing assistance in the 1996 re-election campaign, bombing of a poor country's aspirin factory to divert attention from personal problems, illegally releasing private information on citizens in order to discredit them, intimidating and threatening witnesses, obstructing justice, etc. etc. Hitchens confirms what the Right had been saying since 1993 - this is arguably the most corrupt administration in American history. It is refreshing to finally hear from someone on the left who isn't in the business of excusing and apologizing for this rampant corruption - to call a spade a spade. This book is for those who are interested in more than just economic prosperity - who are concerned about the long-term precedents set by this administration, which will undermine American democracy for many years to come. Those who insist on acknowledge no fault in this president, don't bother wasting time reading this book - it won't give you the warm and fuzzy needed to maintain your illusion that this is the "most ethical administration ever."

If you're looking for a nonpartisan analysis of the Clinton presidency, this isn't it. It is, however, something almost as rare: an attack on the President from the left. Far from the usual liberal Clinton apologist who defends anything the President does simply because he's a Democrat, Hitchens sees him as a shrewd political opportunist whose pathological need for approval from the American people is exceeded only by his contempt for them. In this, he's absolutely correct.

The problem for readers who don't share Hitchens' left-wing ideals will be that he seems to have contempt for Clinton's "triangulations" only to the extent that they interfere with his own liberal agenda. Such readers will also find his liberal indignation a bit tiresome. Conservatives and libertarians will bristle at reading (yet again) how FDR saved us from capitalism. And I doubt whether hard-working, middle-class Americans of any political bent will share his outrage that New York's welfare system now has the audacity to "require the poor to search for jobs before receiving help" (the heartless bastards!).

The book is worth reading for a dead-on, acid-tongued portrait of a dysfunctional administration, for once by an author who can't be accused of a partisan hatchet job. Still, one can't help wondering if Hitchens' high-powered perception of Clinton's flaws would be so clearly focused if Clinton had pursued the liberal policies that Hitchens supports.

In "No One Left To Lie To", Christopher Hitchens dissects Bill Clinton psychologically, laying his inner nature bare like an anatomist displays the internal organs of a prepared cadaver. Mr Hitchens provides an invaluable historical reference of magazine-style contemporary news essays. He deserves the highest praise for compiling his perceptive thoughts into a literate and coherent selection of meaningful essays.

Note, to left-leaning Americans: This book does not argue that Clinton "destroyed the country" from some sort of socially-conservative (i.e., Republican) point of view at all. These are not essays from the pages of The Wall Street Journal by any means. On the contrary, Hitchens testifies that Clinton destroyed American LIBERALISM, from the point of view of a committed socialist, which Hitchens most solidly is. At one point, Hitchens asks why, given the effect he had on both parties, Republicans hate Clinton at all. It is for this reason that this book is an unusual and highly recommendable perspective for anyone who has the slightest interest in the subject, as well as those who have the greatest revulsion.

Hitchens examines Clinton's record of war, his accusations of sexual abuse, his relationship with Dick Morris, his skill at "triangulation", and his relationship with his wife, Hillary. These are not new topics, they have been discussed at great length and in excruciating detail for the last ten years, but Hitchens handles them all with such skill and wit that his compendium deserves reading by even the most jaded partisan or news-weary person.

In a surprisingly brief volume, but one dense with information, Hitchens portrays in precise detail a man beholden to corporate interests, upper-class elitism, and big money influence-peddling. He accuses Clinton of adherence to an agenda which dismantled welfare, cut government regulation, increased the lot of America's wealthy, and did everything an American liberal is purportedly against. Hitchens even uses the Clintons' own words against them in making his case. Most interestingly, be believes Clinton won votes from Republicans because he gave them legislation they wanted, and from Democrats because he gave them the empty symbolism of the White House.

If you are a right-leaning American, you will either delight, or take horror, in the myriad sordid tales, page after page, of a man corrupt to the bone. On the other hand, if you are a left-leaning American, you truly owe it to yourself to read these essays, and ask yourself how the Democrat Party endorsed this man, and how they came to such abuse by him. I have the feeling that if more Democrats read this book, they would be more angry than the thousands of Republicans who already have.

Mr Hitchens has created an unimpeachable journalistic reference, objectively fair, and incisively harsh. Despite partisan arguments of the many who have read it (as well as many who have not!), nothing in his book can be denied, nothing can be disproven, and nothing can be dismissed. There is a true story on every page, confirmed by a glance in any modern source of news information. Even if someone were to accuse Mr Hitchens of subjectivity in some of his stories, or an impure agenda by collecting them all in one place, the simple fact is, there are so many stories inhabiting these pages, it is so thick with them, and Clinton's life is so comprised of them, the matter is out of Hitchens's hands. It comes with the territory. Clinton did, after all, commit the acts Hitchens describes. In any event, the net effect of Hitchens's brief is profound indeed.

As far as the writing itself, Hitchens is highly literate, clearly well-educated, and charmingly erudite, even when pejorating or cursing. He displays an impressive command of the English language, in both vocabulary and idiom, though never unreadably so. This book is a delight to read from cover to cover. Anyone interested in American politics, whether liberal, conservative, or moderate, will find it informative. Most readers will find it equally hilarious and horrific, but all will find it thought-provoking and entertaining.

This book uncovers little about the Clintons, but it does allow inferences about how beltway reporters operate.

In entertaining time-line detail, Isikoff walks the reader through his travails as the reporter caught in the middle of the Clinton/Lewinski perjury scandal. But although he was the reporter best-positioned to chronicle the scandal, he will forever be as Buzz Aldrin was to Neil Armstrong - constrained from a historical pinnacle by his superiors. Isikoff's editors at Newsweek refused to report Isikoff's story, so Matt Drudge will forever be the Man Who Broke The Monica Story.

To his credit, Isikoff avoids self-pity and sticks to the story. But he discredits himself, and the whole book, in the last chapter, where he reveals his true allegiance. Isikoff relates how he watched Mr. Clinton's attorney, Howard Ruff, before Congress during the impeachment, blatantly lying about Isikoff's actions to in a way that would materially help Mr. Clinton. When an acquaintance standing next to Isikoff nudged him and said something like, "Are you going to let Ruff get away with that? Are you going to report what you know to the prosecutors?" Isikoff replied that he would remain silent, for he had had enough of being inside this story.

With that decision, Isikoff passed up his one chance to protect Truth when it really mattered. Yet Isikoff ends his book, only paragraphs later, with a statement about the ultimate importance of Truth. Following his non-performance during the impeachment, that statement rings hollow, and suddenly so does every other statement in the book.

Mr. Isikoff's credentials and social standing among the beltway media elite are safe, for he has done nothing to uncover Bill Clinton. Unwittingly, however, he has uncovered the arrogance, hard work, biases, and initiative of the mainstream media.

Persons interested in the media and its workings will learn from this book. Those who read it to gain insight on our secretive, Nixonian leaders will be much better off reading Margaret Olson or David Brock. Such readers consulting this book by Michael Isikoff will be digesting only air.

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.

Finally there is a definitive book on the events of the past year. Isikoff has written a thoroughly engrossing book that will be used for generations to come to explain why Bill Clinton was impeached. There is a lot to hate in this book if you are a die-hard partisan. Clinton supporters can react with righteous indignation about the conduct of Tripp and Goldberg while Clinton haters can relish in the accounts of the preditory womanizing and probable sexual assault of the President. There is a lot to learn in this book that has not been reported before. If the reader can take off the polital blinders for a moment and read this wonderfully written book objectively they will understand why the president deserved to be impeached and why Linda Tripp deserves to go to jail. This book finally establishes that:

1) Paula Jones is totally vindicated and deserves the most sympathy. No one deserves to be treated the way she was first by Clinton, then by the feminists and finally by the media.

2) Kathleen Willey was almost certainly assaulted by the President.

3) The President used private detectives to smear and intimidate women with whom he had sexual contact (consentual or not). Abuses of power that should disturb even the most strident Clinton defender.

4) Linda Tripp illegally and immorally set up Monica Lewinsky and the president. She and Goldberg's actions should disturb even the most rabid Clinton-hater.

5) The investigation by the Office of the Independent Counsel was probably beyond their scope and should be looked into further.

There seem to be no heros in this book but very clear villains. In the end I think Clinton and Tripp deserve each other.

I found this book to be a good source of the crux of the argument for impeachment. Most people seem all too willing to dismiss this entire time of Clinton's term as marred by either a vast right wing conspiracy or an over-aggressive investigator consumed with sordid details. However, David Schipper clearly spells out 1) how Clinton lied, 2) how he influenced Lewinsky to lie, 3) how Clinton deliberately mislead and tried to hide evidence, and 4) how Clinton has had a history of character assassination of any all all opponents. Wether or not you believe Schipper's claim as a "life-long democrat", there exist some things in this book that I found irrefutable. The depositions are taken word for word. If you believed the President when he mangled the definition of "is", then you will likely see this book as biased. However, if you have read the New York Times, The Wall St. Journal, and The Washington Post, and watched CNN throughout this process, then this book will offer a succint account of the true reasons for impeachment. More to the reason for the writing of the book, it will also give you a taste of the gamesmanship and politicking that runs Washington DC. The powers in place are ultimately only interested in the status quo, as long as it includes them. Henry Hyde should be the President.

"Sellout" is a sad and tragic tale of a few leaders in our government who had remarkable courage being thwarted and betrayed by those who did not. But more ominously, it is a tale of what happens when the checks and balances system of government breaks down, as well as the courage of those charged to enforce that system. It is also a story of accountability being defeated by polls, of right and wrong being defeated by politics.

David Schippers, a life long Democrat and two time Clinton voter, shows Bill Clinton to be a man of incomprehensible arrogance who felt he had the right to deny justice to the less powerful. Clinton's actions are contemptible as well as criminal, but the lack of courage by so many of our leaders to then bring the president to justice for his malfeasance is heartbreaking and enraging.

House Democrats play to type in Shippers' book, utterly uninterested in the facts of the case against Clinton, indeed many never even went to the evidence room to examine the evidence. Worse yet, not one Democratic Senator ever bothered during the Senate trial to look over the evidence despite their oaths to do justice and to have formed no opinion of the guilt or innocence of the president prior to having examined all the evidence. This "circle the wagons" mentality which protected Clinton like a mafia don was to be expected from those of Clinton's own party. But for the Republican Senate leadership to have whitewashed Clinton's crimes and to have acted so embarrassed at having to perform their legitimate oversight role over the Executive Branch is unforgivable.

Schippers shows what a complete joke the Senate "trial" was, an empty shell with a pre-ordained outcome posing as justice which should forever deny Clinton supporters the right to claim Clinton was acquitted based on facts rather than polls. A real trial resulting in acquittal would have had meaning. The sham trial Schippers portrays shows Clinton's acquittal to have been a failure of spine within the Senate, not a failure of the facts to prove Clinton's guilt. The book makes clear acquittal was the pre-determined outcome in the minds of the Democrats in the Senate, and even among some Republicans.

All Americans should be deeply disturbed by Schippers' book, not just because the president utterly trampled the rule of law and our system of justice (to say nothing of his oath of office and the presidency itself), but because so many in Congress from both parties allowed Clinton to get away with it. The polls enabled Democrats to protect their law breaking president. The polls cowed the Republican leadership from performing justice. That is a dangerous precendent and should give Americans pause.

Despite the maddening lack of will to see justice done by both political parties in the impeachment drama, it is rewarding to read of the courage of the House Managers, who knowing the evidence, the law and the sanctity of the presidency were unafraid to do their jobs and hold the president accountable. Congressman James Rogan in particular stands out as a man of tremendous courage, the House Manager with the most to lose, but who in the end preferred to lose his seat than to see accountability lose all meaning in our government. Rogan is the kind of man so many Americans wish there were more of in government, someone who will do the right thing rather than the popular thing. And yet when there is such a man so many will turn on him and say "How dare he! " as is happening among Rogan's constituents.

I rate Schippers' book with 4 stars more for its message than its content. There are some interesting insider revelations, but many parts of the book are lifted out of the Congressional record which tends to bog the book down. And the book ends rather abruptly without shedding much light on the proceedings of the Senate trial, farce though it was. However, the transcript of Schippers summation before the House Judiciairy Committee is a stunning work of prose and weaves a tapistry of criminality by this president that is breathtaking and will forever deny Clinton apologists the tired spin of "It's all about sex." The Schippers summation alone makes this book a must read, especially for those who may yet be in denial about the nature of the impeachment and Clinton's crimes which led to it.

The author, David Schippers, cannot be accused of many things: being a Republican, being on the outside, and being a fabricator. He is above all a man with integrity. And he has done the American people a great service by confirming what I felt all along: that the real crimes and misdemeanors of President Clinton were sacrificed in order to keep the Senators on both parties completely free of starch. Certainly, there were more important aspects of Clinton's shady dealings that could--and SHOULD--have been brought to light; that is exactly Schippers' purpose in writing this book. Things like "Chinagate" and "Filegate" were serious matters that should have been considered, but the scope of the impeachment was watered down to such an extent that a real chance of conviction was lost for good. Perhaps the thing that angered me the most when reading this very informative book was that REPUBLICAN senators had already prejudged the outcome of any impeachment proceeding. Shameful! I go to the polls in November with one thought in mind: no more "bipartisan" politics, and no more Mr. Nice Guy! Both parties blew it, and they did it out of selfishness and greed! They allowed the most corrupt, immoral, venal, and dishonest president in this country's history to remain in office, foisting ever more disgrace upon the American people. At least I know that the liberals can't point to this author as being yet another member of the so-called "vast right-wing conspiracy", as Schippers IS a Democrat. Thank you, sir, for having the honesty and temerity to tell us, the people, the truth.

I am relatively new to the world of polical insider books, but there is enough bite and intrigue in this work from George Stephanopoulos to make it a worthwhile read.

First the positives: There is an insider's perspective to the workings of the Clinton administration that I have never seen. It was facinating for me to read about the clashes of ideology, as well as personalities that must be a part of any polical organization. Also I feel that the writing style was good. It reads very easily, and with the pace of a fictional novel. Poor George is alway caught up in one scandal or crisis or another.

Which leads me to the negatives. This book really is about George Stephanopolous. Every event in this book feels like a crisis to him and it's no wonder that he suffered from depression. His self-centered manner is a bit frustrating at times. I wanted to scream at him "Life will go on with or without you George!"

Finally the biggest disappointment was the lack of depth of the descriptions of the principals around him. Aside from the very entertaining depiction of the enigmatic Rasputin-like influence of Dick Morris, and possibly the troubled one of Hillary Clinton, the others are surprisingly flat. Clinton, Gore and the others don't really show much of their color here. Maybe this type of account isn't supposed to color outside influences this way, but in any case it was a dissappointment to me.

Having said this, it is still worth a look just for the sheer curiousity of the inner workings of the Oval Office.

While those looking for a coherent overview of the first Clinton term will have to wait both for more time to pass and another book, _All Too Human_ provides one of the most honest and insightful views of the inner workings of the White House staff available. Stephanopoulos's work offers a view of the moral dilemnas inherent in this ultra high-stakes environment, something that should resonant well with those of us in the sixties generations whose desire to change the world for the better often lead to acts which wheren't quite so noble. The book is really Staphenopoulos story - his personal journey in this pressure cooker - and while his closeness to the President and others in the administration allow for empathic insights - ultimately this is a story of idealism being deconstructed in the arena of pragmatic realism and power politics. _All Too Human_ is a frank admissions of errors made as well as success often overlooked, of the growth of both personal wisdom and cynicism. Thus it is both a decent political history and a compeling human story. We are not subjected to yet another set of cardboard characters playing out a morality play, but instead are treated to complex and highly intelligent people trying to live up to their own high ideals and not always succeeding. (Possible exception to this is the rather bizarre portrait of Dick Morris). There are, thankfully, but a very short couple of references to Lewisky and Starr, the topics that would overshadow the second Clinton term. This is a book about people and process, and it speaks to the state of our most basic democratic instutions. For that alone, it is well worth the price of admission.

George Stephanopoulos certainly saw it all firsthand. A Rhodes Scholar who worked for the Dukakis campaign and for Richard Gephardt, Stephanopoulos joined Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign because Clinton seemed to have it all. As his time progressed and life in the White House became an exciting but difficult reality, depression and other problems set in. In this very in-depth book, Stephanopoulos gives the reader a view inside the Clinton White House that could only come from one with such close access. He writes of both the Clinton Administration's best and worst moments, and pulls no punches when they made mistakes. One particular highlight is his contentious and venemous relationship with former Clinton aide Dick Morris, whose ideas always seemed to conflict with Stephanopoulos. He also manages to present his story in a "just the facts" style; there's no coaching the reader to believe the author's own ideology, so readers of all political viewpoints can read it. If you are a fan of Bill Clinton, this book will remind you of what went both right and wrong. If you hate him, this may remind you of Clinton's worst attributes. Either way, All Too Human is an important study of life in the White House with all of both its positive and negative aspects.

Only one part of the total investigation...the report provides summary information in a very damaging he said/she said argument which has been written with political glasses on. It is organized, yet clearly government-ease in the level of language. The text is short on connections and verification of the charges summarized at the conclusion of the report. There is no discussion of constitutional basis for accusations. Clearly the report deals with innuendo and sexual explicit material, which provides the real draw for the reader...but is damaging for the President. The rebuttal from the White House should accompany the volume. One-sided material is rampant throughout the report and there is no ruling from the grand jury, unless implied in the 11 grounds for impeachment. I can move beyond the sex and power to the assertion that perception is reality with grand support in the report. Is this the perception of Mr. Starr or the grand jury? I wish the report was more revealing as to the deliberations of Starr using the evidence and will of the grand jury. The reader is left to assume too much to raise the level of credibility of this report to a level warranting impeachment proceedings. This lack of credibility results in suspicion of the facts presented, which translates into suspicion of the grounds for impeachment.

Over the protests of the President, his lawyers, and supporters (in Congress, press, and the liberal public), Judge Starr has delivered his report to Congress. This report, the result of a 7 month ($4.4 million) investigation outlines the case against the President for: perjury, obstruction of justice, subornation of perjury, and abuse of power. It does contain graphic sexual detail, the inclusion of which was made necessary by Mr. Clinton's continual denial (with legal "hair-splitting") that he had a sexual affair with Ms. Lewinsky. Buy it for reference or read it online, but to fully understand what is going on with this scandal (and the probable impeachment proceedings) one must get the information firsthand -- unfiltered and unbiased by middlemen. This is also just the first of several reports that Starr may submit to Congress; the investigations into Whitewater, the White House Travel Office firings, FBI file misappropriations, and Rose Law Firm billing records are all concluding shortly.

Any average citizen commiting perjury, or corporate executive having sex in the workplace with a college intern, or military person such as Kelly Flinn, would be, and have...lost their jobs, been demoted, removed from their position at the least. In the case of perjury...Federal Judges, have been put in prison!

Wake up people,...we do not live in old world England with a king and queen. Clinton is a citizen just like the rest of us, and since YOU would have to go to jail for commiting such crimes of perjury, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice SO SHOULD CLINTON. No one is above the law...not even Bill Clinton.

The Starr Report is a good read because it shows to what lengths we have to go to get the truth out of Bill Clinton...and he still resists!

***This Starr Report is not salacious.... .......it simply mirrors President Bill Clinton's BEHAVIOR which is INDEED salacious!

Starr is not "out of control" Bill Clinton's behavior IS "out of control!" Read the details in the Starr Report, and you'll see for yourself!