Landslide: The Unmaking of the President, 1984-1988 [Paperback]

Jane Mayer (Author), Doyle McManus (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 468 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company (October 18, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395517575
• ISBN-13: 978-0395517574
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #579,340 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Dark Side of Ronald Reagan, July 11, 2000

By 

Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Landslide: The Unmaking of the President, 1984-1988 (Hardcover)

This book explores the underside of the Reagan Presidency. The surprise is not that Reagan was not in control of underlings like Oliver North, but that he was so out of touch that incoming Chief of Staff Howard Baker actually considered whether the constitutional provision for removing an incapacitated President might have to be invoked! Mayer and McManus write with the sharp eye of crack investigative reporters. While the results may not be as compelling as "All the President's Men," they still present an unsettling account of what goes on in the corridors of power.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on Iran-Contra, October 5, 2005

By 

Joseph Goodfriend (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Landslide: The Unmaking of the President, 1984-1988 (Paperback)

This oddly titled book is actually the best and most incisive work you can read on the Iran-Contra Affair.
The book describes in detail how Reagan set broad ideological guidelines, and expected those who worked under him to carry out the details and not bring him problems.
Did Reagan know that Bill Casey and North were funneling money to the Contras and lying to Congress? As the book details, there is no substantive evidence that he knew this.
However, it is clear that Reagan orchestrated the illegal sale and transfer of weapons to Iran in exchange for hostage releases. The quid pro quo was discussed in any number of cabinet meetings including Reagan, Bush, Weinberger, Regan, and others.
Does this make them all guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors?
It certainly does.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't Believe It's So Obscure, January 21, 2003

By 

Matthew D. Felix (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Landslide: The Unmaking of the President, 1984-1988 (Hardcover)

I sell used books and just happened to come across this. I'm straining to remember it (I'd be really surprised if it hadn't caused some ripples, as it came out in '88 when RR was still in office) but I just have no recollection. I'm a Democrat who was sort of undergoing a gradual process of reevaluating Reagan in a more positive light. Nevermind! The book makes a very strong indictment of RR as a decent enough fellow who was grossly incompetent as a President. My impression is that the authors are fairly moderate:a guy from the LA Times and a gal from the Wall St. Journal;neither are liberal papers. The used copies are way cheaper than they deserve to be (I'm keeping mine). Pulitzer Prize material IMO. Read it!