Customer Reviews

ROSTENKOWSKI - THE PURSUIT OF POWER AND THE END OF THE OLD POLITICS

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Though I've been a Republican (and occasional Libertarian) since I was old enough to vote, one of my favorite politicians remains a Democrat. Chicago's own Dan Rostenkowski served as chairman of the very powerful Ways and Means Committee until 1994 when he was voted out of office amongst corruption charges and disgust with the Democratic establishment in general. Richard Cohen's book is the first and (as far as I can tell) only full-length biography of this politician and its a fascinating read. Following Rostenkowski from his beginnings as an obscure lackey of Mayor Richard Daley in the '50s to his position as the most powerful man in Washington, D.C. in the late '80s and early '90s, and finally ending with his downfall, Cohen's book shows how this man came to power though the old fashioned politics of patronage and was eventually destroyed by them. Its also a finely nuanced investigation of a man who remained bluntly unglamorous as American politics were transformed into the world's most vapid beauty contest by the Clintons and their ilk. Even as you read about the man's flagrant abuse of power, its hard not to miss Dan Rostenkowski whose ill-fitting suits, cheap haircuts, and blue collar manner become all the more likeable in the face of our recent crop of lip-biting, pain-feeling, bridge-building politicians.

Richard Cohen's biography of former Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL) offers a broad overview of the career of one of the most powerful Members of Congress in recent history.

Tracing Rostenkowski's rise from a local politician in his ethnic Chicago neighborhood to the halls of Congress in Washington, DC, his chairmanship of arguably the most powerful and storied standing committee in the House of Representatives, and finally his high-profile downfall after an indictment for corruption charges, Cohen's biography is also the story of the changing world of politics from tradition rich smoke filled rooms to the 24-hour cable news cycle of today.

While deeply researched (Cohen interviewed several of Rostenkowki's senior aides and spent time with the Congressman himself), "Rostenkowski" lacks the intricate detail of more serious works of political history. Cohen achieves neither the depth nor the perspective to push his work into the must read category. However, for a well-written and enjoyable overview of Dan Rostenkowski's career and the changing traditions in the House of Representatives, "Rostenkowski" is a worthwhile read.

COHEN's book takes us from boyhood to the ignominious end of a political career -- and does so while telling a second and equally fascinating stoy about the changes in the American political system that accompanied, and ended, with the ROSTENKOWSKI era. For those who find Chicago politics -- where tombstones sometime vote -- to be worth a good read, this is a wonderful view of how all that worked in and around a Congressional district. For those who find the story of this Polish-American icon to be worthy of a book investment, this volume delivers 200%. For those who appreciate what a professional journalist with 30 years of Washington reporting can add to the ROSTENKOWSKI story by way of historical perspective and evolution, this is a book that cannot be missed.