Customer Reviews

Inside the White House: The Hidden Lives of the Modern Presidents and the Secrets of the World's Most Powerful Institution

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Has a decent person ever inhabited or worked in the White House? Apparently Not. Written with the authority of a person who worked intimately with our Presidents for decades. But wait, did he ever work in the White House?? More focus on the interactions between the President and staff, senior staff and junior staff, etc., would have provided insight in the the inner workings of the White House. However, the focus was on sweeping old skeletons from the walk-in closets. I understand the intent was to show the human frailty of any person who inhabits the office - but mix in a few good stories and show some balance. I must say - it was entertaining reading. There was shock value, and some old rumors were made to sound more credible. I'd recommend giving it a read. I was looking for some more "nuts and bolts", but for anyone interested in the Presidency from a laymans view, you will probably enjoy the book. If you are looking for something more academic, read "The Twilight of the Presidency".

This book makes interesting reading, since it lifts the curtain slightly and gives us a peek inside the White House and Air Force One. In doing so, we're able to see some of our beloved presidents and their families as they really were when behind closed doors. A few of the resulting revelations may seem startling to some but all appear to be in line with the character of those being peeked upon.

The book is essentially a compilation of observations and information gleaned from those who worked in the White House and on Air Force One, or supported the Presidents or their families, from the beginning of Lyndon Johnson's Administration up to about the middle of the Clinton Administration. It also touches briefly on President Kennedy and includes a broad discussion of Clinton's many escapades while Governor of Arkansas. In my view, this latter discussion was most likely appended because the author was unable to acquire significant information from his sources while Clinton was still in office.

The president who came across the best in this book seemed to be Ronald Reagan. The presidents who came across the worst were Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton. The first lady who came across the best was Barbara Bush. The worst would probably have to be Rosalynn Carter. The best presidential child would have to be Chelsea Clinton.

The observations and excerpts which follow reveal the tenor of the book. John F. Kennedy was a known womanizer in an unhappy marriage, but the press never reported it that way, and Jacqueline Kennedy made all staff members sign a pledge not to talk about their experiences in the White House. Lyndon Johnson was not only unscrupulous, but almost as bad a womanizer as Bill Clinton. Once, while on a trip with two governors, Johnson reportedly made the following comment in explaining why the civil rights bill was so important to him. He said it was simple: "I'll have them niggers voting Democratic for two hundred years." One of the author's sources said that President Nixon wasn't an "out-and-out thief for his own personal gain," as Lyndon Johnson was. Instead he had his staff do it. Gerald Ford liked to pass gas and then try to blame it on his Secret Service agents. Jimmy Carter micromanaged to such an extent that White House aides had to call him on Air Force One to get permission to use the tennis courts. Ronald Reagan was said to be "down to earth and easy to talk to," but Nancy was described as strict and demanding. The first President Bush was said to be so out of touch with everyday America that he was amazed to see an electronic price scanner in a supermarket checkout counter. Bill Clinton was described by one insider as "...not doing the hard work of being the CEO, of thinking, planning, and strategizing. He is a mediocre guy getting his kicks out of being the top politician in the land."

Readers of this book, of course, will have to make their own decisions as to what to believe and what not to believe, probably based on their own political persuasions. But it does make interesting reading, and I suspect that most of it is true.

What is evident is the criminal behavior of the slime buckets we elect as President. Every occupant of the White House seems to out do the previous resident for wasting our money and heightening their "kingdom". Lots of good information scattered about, but Kessler must have run out of gas way before he had a complete book.

Johnson's part was hilarious. I was crying with laughter. But the rest of the book was boring, just a bunch of gossip. No juicy details. No funny lines. And definitely anti-Democrats.

Most people will not enjoy seeing their heroes revealed as the human beings they are, full of faults and failures. Nor will they like the principle players in the Whitehouse game appearing weak and petty. Kessler raises may interesting questions, and details some disturbing behavior. Whether these stories are true or not, and they most likely are as I have not heard of any libel suit filed against Kessler for this book, is not the real point of the book. The creation of an institution that allows this sort of behavior without accountability is the real story, the more disturbing aspect of the book. Mr. Kessler should be commended for raising an issue with the secrecy that surrounds the most "visible" member of our national government.

"Inside the White House" offers a revealing look behind the workings of Americas highest office and the people who occupied it. It gives an interesting account of the lives of the modern presidents as well as the technical facts behind the Executive Branch, how much we spend on it, and how many are employed to protect and upkeep it. Interesting revelations about Johnson, Carter and Reagan. - Jim Stiene

This book keeps your attention, but the section on Clinton is so overtly biased that it calls in to question everything else in the book. Not only is it extremely slanted, but the author spends a disproportionate amount of time picking apart Clinton regardless of what he does, and commenting on his policy. Also, interestingly, the author paints an overwhelmingly bad picture of the democratic presidents since Johnson, and a generally favorable picture of the republican presidents in such a consistent and emphatic way that it seems unlikely that it is really accurate, particularly once he gets going on Clinton.

I was completely loving this book until I heard the way he treated Clinton, and it became very clear that the author had his own agenda, which was much more important that a fair presentation of life inside the white house. Worth reading, but not worth spending money on.

As someone who has read a few of Kessler's books and loved them, this one was a complete disaster. I only give it one star for the tiny tidbits of sparsely scattered real information in this book, but that's certainly not worth the amount of money I had to pay for it.

The book was primarily gossipy and offered little that I have not heard or read before. I expected more insight and little known aspects of the presidents covered in the book than what I got. Overall, a disappointment.

i wanted to give this a 5 rating but after finishing it, you notice that carter and clinton are so much more picked apart than nixon, ford, regan and bush. the republicans are held, for the most part, in highter esteem than the democrats. i recommend this book still though.