Greetings From the Lincoln Bedroom [Hardcover]

Arianna Huffington (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 1999

2 cassettes / 3 hours
Read by the Author

In the grand tradition of Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Downsize This! comes Arianna Huffington's outrageous and hilarious tour of what really goes on in the White House out of the public eye.

Welcome to Arianna's excellent adventure:
On the heels of a small donation made to the Democratic National Committee--the result of a lost bet--she's invited to spend three days, with access as full as an intern's, in the infamous Lincoln Bedroom. Like Alice's exploits through the looking glass, Arianna's weekend in the White House wonderland is increasingly surreal, constantly titillating, and brutally funny as she encounters a parade of curiouser and curiouser surprises, including:

*  a genial Al Gore stored upright in a basement corner, ready to take over the presidency at a moment's notice--the only time he gets taken upstairs is for fund-raising calls and to have his arms rotated after every thousand calls;

* Tipper Gore, Madonna,  and a Greek chorus of breastfeeding mothers joining Hillary Clinton at a tea party;  

* a very interactive television that broadcasts the wildest political programming ever seen;

* an outrageous state dinner for the Chinese President that's closed to the media--and for good reason; and


Of course the star of this backstage tour is Bill Clinton himself. He and his sometime sidekick and best supporting actor Newt Gingrich reach an epoch-making bipartisan consensus that oral sex is not adultery. The President is found horsetrading in a hot tub, soul-searching during a midnight raid of the snack pantry, and otherwise devising new ways to feed his financial, carnal, and altogether insatiable appetites. And as a reminder of just how far politics and leadership have strayed, there's even a visit from the remarkably well-preserved Abraham Lincoln himself.  
        
In the sharpest political satire since the Contract with America, Arianna Huffington takes off the gloves as she takes on the dishonesty and malfeasance of politicians of all stripes, leading us on a mind-bending tour through the White House looking glass.

--This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Syndicated columnist (and frequent Politically Incorrect panelist) Arianna Huffington takes up political satire in this fictional account of her weekend as a guest in the Clinton White House. As interns scramble to assure her that everything is under control, and Al Gore gathers dust in the basement, Huffington gets her soundest advice from Socks, the First Cat. More than Primary Colors without the names changed, Greetings From the Lincoln Bedroom contains a sustained attack on the campaign finance scandals that have affected both parties and which, in Huffington's view, threaten American democracy at its core. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Mocking the current political scene.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing (May 11, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517396998
• ISBN-13: 978-0517396995
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,687,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Arianna Huffington is a nationally syndicated columnist, author of eleven books, and the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post. She is also co-host of 'Left, Right & Center,' public radio's popular political roundtable program.

In May 2005, she launched The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that has quickly become one of the most widely read, linked to, and frequently cited media brands on the Internet.

In 2006, she was named to the Time 100, Time magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people.
Originally from Greece, she moved to England at the age of sixteen to attend Cambridge University. She graduated with an M.A. in economics. At 21, she became president of the famed debating society, the Cambridge Union.

Her latest book is ON BECOMING FEARLESS . . . IN LOVE, WORK, AND LIFE. Her other books include:

' FANATICS AND FOOLS: THE GAME PLAN FOR WINNING BACK AMERICA, offers a scathing portrait of our contemporary political landscape with a bold, inspiring, and practical approach to restoring America to the promise envisioned by our greatest leaders. It was published in 2004.

' PIGS AT THE TROUGH: HOW CORPORATE GREED AND POLITICAL CORRUPTION ARE UNDERMINING AMERICA, became a New York Times bestseller when it was published in 2003.

' HOW TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT, on the corruption of our political system and the need for reform, was published in 2000.

' GREETINGS FROM THE LINCOLN BEDROOM, a political satire, was published in 1998.

' THE FOURTH INSTINCT, on the longing for meaning in a secular world, was published in 1994.

' PICASSO: CREATOR AND DESTROYER, a biography of Pablo Picasso, was published in 1988. It was a major international bestseller, translated into 16 languages. The book was also made into a film starring Anthony Hopkins as Picasso and produced by Merchant-Ivory for Warner Bros.

' THE GODS OF GREECE celebrates the power of myths as guides to forgotten dimensions of life and ourselves. Atlantic Monthly Press republished it with paintings by Fran'oise Gilot.

' THE WOMAN BEHIND THE LEGEND, a biography of Maria Callas published in 1981, quickly became an international bestseller.

' AFTER REASON, on political leadership and the intersection of politics and culture, was published in 1978.

' THE FEMALE WOMAN, on the changing roles of women, was published in 1974 by Random House and translated into 11 languages.

Huffington has made guest appearances on numerous television shows, including "Charlie Rose," "Oprah," "Nightline," "Real Time with Bill Maher," "Inside Politics," "Larry King Live," "Hardball," "Good Morning America," the "Today Show," "Countdown," and "The O'Reilly Factor."

She serves on several boards that promote community solutions to social problems, including A Place Called Home, which works with at-risk children in South Central Los Angeles. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Archer School for Girls, and on the board of the Reform Institute, which works on campaign and election reform issues.

Arianna Huffington lives in Los Angeles with her two daughters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars 2-dimensional, July 15, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Greetings from the Lincoln Bedroom (Hardcover)

Hardly an insightful satire, it is rather one continuous repetitive republican joke about how gore is stiff, janet has a firm handshake, and clinton chases women - as if that was everything that defined these people. I can take a good satire - just make it, at least, interesting.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The funniest book about politics in years, June 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Greetings from the Lincoln Bedroom (Hardcover)

I was pleasantly surprised to find a book that really had a totally new perspective about Clinton and politics. It was genueinly funny, in a new way. It kept me laughing even when the topic was rather serious. It was a real roast.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Long Insider Joke, June 2, 2003

By 

Aaauger (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Greetings from the Lincoln Bedroom (Audio Cassette)

It's like reading a Dilbert cartoon if you've never experienced corporate life - only it goes on much longer. Be aware that the entire book consists of an imaginary trip by the Republican author to a Democratic White House. Don't expect any facts or insights. Even as a Republican, I found the humor to be cloying and self-congratulatory. My impression of this book is: what a complete waste of intellect and energy. It's a really bad reflection on the Republican party.