Condi vs. Hillary: The Next Great Presidential Race (Hardcover)

by Dick Morris (Author), Eileen Mcgann (Author) "On January 20, 2009, at precisely noon, the world will witness the inauguration of the forty-fourth president of the United States..." (more)
Key Phrases: primary voters, New York, White House, Hillary Clinton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Who will be president in 2008? Many believe that the White House is Hillary Clinton's to lose. As long-time strategists Dick Morris and Eileen McGann reveal in Condi vs. Hillary, however, Hillary's plans for higher office are vulnerable to a challenge from a most unexpected quarter: the Bush administration's secretary of state and former national security advisor, Condoleezza Rice.

Rice is the only figure on the national scene who has the credentials, the credibility, and the charisma to lead the GOP in 2008. And, as this first book on the subject demonstrates, a race between these two commanding, but very different, women is a very real possibility -- and would inevitably prove one of the most fascinating and important races in American history.

Blending insider insight and political foresight, Condi vs. Hillary surveys the strengths and weaknesses of the two candidates, finding persuasive clues about what we might expect from each of them as a chief executive. It traces their very different childhoods -- Hillary Rodham's in unchallenging suburban comfort, Condi Rice's in Birmingham, Alabama, during the civil rights era -- and finds in each the roots of their latter-day selves. It explores their career in public life -- Hillary's as an ambitious liberal who attached herself to a governor on the rise, Condi's as a woman of broad and deep talents who has earned her own way. It turns a discerning eye on how each has spent her time in government, contrasting Condi's growth and maturation in office with Hillary's record of underachievement as both first lady and senator from New York. And it reveals how a draft-Condi movement could sweep the secretary of state into the presidency even as she forgoes campaigning to address her responsibilities as secretary of state.

America, in short, may be on the verge of a perfect storm of twenty-first-century politics, pitting two of America's most popular -- and controversial -- women against each other, and offering Americans a choice between fulfilling the ambitions of one of our most polarizing figures . . . or changing history by electing not just the first woman, but also the first African American woman, to lead the free world into the future.

About the Author

Dick Morris served as Bill Clinton's political consultant for twenty years. A regular political commentator on Fox News and other networks, he is the author of six New York Times bestsellers (all with Eileen McGann) and one Washington Post bestseller.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (October 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060839139
• ISBN-13: 978-0060839130
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #611,106 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real woman, October 12, 2005

By	Juvenal (Silicon Valley) - See all my reviews

Dick Morris absolutely loathes Hillary Clinton and makes a career out of bashing her whenever he can. But he is convinced she will win the Democratic nomination in 2008 and that she will be a formidable opponent. The only person he thinks can beat her is Condi Rice. I have been saying this for months.

All over America, black leaders are wondering how in hell they are going to explain to their constituents that voting for a white woman from Wellesley will advance the cause of blacks more than voting for a black woman from Birmingham, Alabama. To their credit, many of these leaders will realize that this argument is untenable, a dog that just won't hunt. They will drop Hillary like a hot potato and throw their support behind Condi.

Ironic. The Dems have spent the last 40 years cultivating the black vote. They now get 9 out of 10 black votes. If Condi runs, it could go 9 out of 10 the other way. Think that's an exaggeration? Think again. Recall the jubilation that took place in the "black street" when OJ, a real scoundrel, was acquitted of murder charges. Now imagine the jubilation that will break out in the black street when Condi, a national treasure, is elected the first black President of the United States. The following consideration will be weighed in the mind of every black voter standing in the voting booth on Election Day in 2008: "By my vote I can put the first African-American in the White House; am I going to pass up this opportunity and vote for Hillary instead???"

And then, think about how women will vote. First off, Condi's views on abortion mirror precisely those of the majority of women in America today: she is pro-choice, but in favor of reasonable restrictions on abortion. Second, Condi is living, breathing proof that women can shatter the "glass ceiling" and reach the highest levels of executive power. Finally, as a professional educator who implemented major reforms in undergraduate education at Stanford, Condi will appeal to all the mothers for whom the quality of their children's education is a major concern. Many of Hillary's female supporters will start off vehemently opposed to Condi, but they will quickly realize how hollow their arguments against her sound. They will undergo a sudden conversion and defect to Condi in droves.

And then, think about how the intellectual elite will vote. All we've been hearing for the last 8 years is how "dumb" Dubya is. Well, that argument won't work with Condi. PhD in international affairs; faculty member and provost of Stanford University; concert pianist playing recitals with Yo Yo Ma. This girl's got it goin' on! You want intellectual elite? Condi makes Dominique de Villepin look like a bumpkin from the French countryside. The last time we had a candidate with "intellectual credentials" like this was Woodrow Wilson.

So, it's obvious that Condi can make significant inroads into traditionally Democratic voting blocs. And it's also obvious that she's got the support of libertarian, neocon white males like myself. And it's also obvious that, as 1.) the daughter of a preacher and herself a woman of faith and 2.) a staunch defender of the Second Amendment, she will do well in the red states. One way to sum up Condi's broad-based appeal is to say: Condi is the moderate Hillary pretends to be (see Morris' "Hillary Brand"). She is the Democrats' worst nightmare.

Whom would Condi pick as her running mate? How about another moderate like, say, Bill Clinton? Come on, Bill, dump the ice queen and hook up with a real woman! In all seriousness, the bipartisan choice of someone like Joe Lieberman would be a master stroke.

Condi, you are a person that men and women, blacks and whites, intellectuals and people of faith can stand behind in unison. Your candidacy has the potential to heal many of the divisions that have torn America apart for decades. Run, Condi, run!

109 of 144 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Scenario, October 11, 2005

By	Mark R., Whittington "author of Children of A... (Houston, Texas USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm not sure that I agree with Morris' premise that Condi Rice is the only person who can prevent the long, national nightmare of a Hillary Clinton Presidency. Hillary has a lot of weaknesses that have yet to come to the surface, but must in a national campaign. She is hated by a great plurality of the electorate, and not just on the right either. The moveon.org/Howard Deaniac wing of the Democratic Party does not find her support of the Iraq War very appealing or very credible.

Condi, on the other hand, has one weakness, despite her considerable talent and intelligence. She has never run for office before. The Presidency is rarely an entry leval job, with the exception of successful Generals like Washington, Grant, and Eisenhower.

Still, what a wonder race Condi vs Hillary would be. I agree with Morris' premise to this extent--Condi would almost certainly beat Hillary. An African-American, Conservative woman who has risen on her own talent becoming President would just be too potent an idea to resist. But a man with political experience on the bottom part of the ticket--say George Allen or Mitt Romney--and Condi would win by a landslide, changing the face of American politics forever and extending the Democrats' stay in the wilderness for many more years.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is a joke!, January 7, 2008

By	Josef Goergen "JJG" (Northern New Jersey) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is proof positive that anyone can write a book. Mr. Morris' analytical skills are on par with those of Inspector Clouseau. Highly recommended it you what to have a good laugh. Otherwise not so much.