For Love of Politics: Bill and Hillary Clinton: The White House Years (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

During their eight years in the White House, Bill and Hillary Clinton worked together more closely than the public ever knew. Their intertwined personal and professional lives had far-reaching consequences–for politics, domestic policy, and international affairs–and their marital troubles became a national soap opera. Based on unparalleled access to scores of Clinton insiders–cabinet officers, top administration officials, close personal friends–and skilled analysis of a vast written record, including previously unavailable private papers, For Love of Politics is the first book to explain the dynamics of Bill and Hillary’s relationship, showing that they are two halves of a unique whole and that it is impossible to understand one Clinton without factoring in the other.

Sally Bedell Smith, acclaimed author of Grace and Power: The Private World of the Kennedy White House, offers intimate scenes from the Clinton marriage, with new details and insights into how a passion for politics sustained Bill and Hillary through one crisis after another. With clarity and depth, Smith examines the origins of an unconventional copresidency, explains the impact of the Clintons’ tensions as well as their talents, and reveals how Hillary shifted from openly exercising power in the first two years to acting as a “hidden hand,” advising her husband on a range of foreign and domestic issues as well as decisions on hiring and firing.

Smith describes for the first time the inner workings of a White House with an unprecedented “three forces to be reckoned with”–Bill, Hillary, and Al Gore–and shows how the First Lady’s rivalry with the Vice President played out in the West Wing and even more profoundly during the 2000 campaign. As Hillary seeks to follow in her husband’s footsteps, this riveting book will leave readers marveling at what they never knew about Bill’s intensely covered presidency–and wondering what it would be like to have two presidents, both named Clinton, living in the White House.

About the Author

Sally Bedell Smith is the author of Grace and Power: The Private World of the Kennedy White House, Diana in Search of Herself: Portrait of a Troubled Princess, Reflected Glory: The Life of Pamela Churchill Harriman, and In All His Glory: The Life and Times of William S. Paley and the Birth of Modern Broadcasting. A contributing editor at Vanity Fair since 1996, she previously worked at Time and The New York Times, where she was a cultural news reporter. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Stephen. They have three grown children.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Random House (October 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400063248
• ISBN-13: 978-1400063246
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #427,163 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting perspective of a very complex relationship, October 23, 2007

By	Dead Leaf (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

Many of the details of For Love of Politics are well known - Whitewater, Paula Jones, Vince Foster, health care - but the author's intention is, I think, an attempt to understand and explain the complex relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton. The stories and anecdotes reveal a study in contrasts - Bill's smoothness to Hillary's steel, Bill's talking to Hillary's planning, Bill's meandering to Hillary's focus.

I do not view this book as yet another in an endless litany of either hit piece or campaign propoganda. Despite the length, anyone familiar with the Clintons can read this book very quickly. The stories are familiar, but the perspective is unique.

This book will not get Hillary elected, but it won't keep her out of the White House either. Love her or hate her, Hillary Clinton may very well be the next president of the United States, and it would do well for everyone to understand her better. This book is an attempt to do that, and for that it has my recommendation.

46 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll Understand Her Better, October 25, 2007

By	Susanna Hutcheson "Copywriting for the Discri... (Midwest U.S.A.) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

While there may not be much that's new here, the author has cut through the clutter and managed to show a juxtaposition of the couple. She shows how together they make the whole in a political partnership. You'll see how Hillary and Bill are each very different. But when placed together, they are a powerful unit that's almost unstoppable.

We learn that he almost always turned to her for advice in all matters while in the White House and wouldn't, or couldn't, make a move without her. So, in reality, she has made those decisions and had that experience.

The book is fascinating in that it looks inside the marriage as a powerful partnership that, despite its famous flaws, works beyond the wildest dreams of most people. They've made it work for their common goal. (This is not a political statement and as a reviewer, I'm not commenting on my own political beliefs. This review is only my evaluation of this particular book.)

A fascinating read.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes one wonder about the presidential candidate, December 29, 2007

By	ShiraSongbird - See all my reviews

This book traces the history of the Clintons from the time they first ran for president through their second term in office. The book was well researched and presented the history very well.

While reading this book, I had to keep nudging myself and asking, is this the same woman who is now running for president of the United States? Has everyone forgotten her past and what happened when she was in the White House the first time. Doesn't this matter? Why is none of this history ever mentioned in the press? I have heard it said that everyone knows Hillary's past and dismisses it, but what about those who were in grade school at the time of the Clinton's previous presidency? Were they aware at the time of what was happening?

Every person who wonders whether they should vote for Hllary should read this book, get informed and then cast their vote.