Behind the Oval Office: Winning the Presidency in the Nineties

by Dick Morris

Book Overview

This new edition of Behind the Oval Office contains an insightful an devastating new interpretation of President Clinton's character and career. Also included are actual agendas Dick Morris used for... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 067945747X
• ISBN13: 9780679457473
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Random House
• Length: 359 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

How To Share an Ego

I was not expecting the author's detailed views on President Clinton's personality. I was assuming I was going to get a 350 page "I am the Greatest" ego stroking puff piece. I was actually prepared to dislike this book given the author's conservative leanings and now permanent pundit position on FOX, but as it is the inside book covering how Clinton turned around his numbers in 94-95, I felt it was worth getting through. It turns out I was wrong. The book was very well written and interesting. The author shared a number of insights into how the Clinton White House worked and what was going on in 94 - 95. The author also did not have the overblown ego that I was expecting to encounter; as a matter of fact he spent a good deal of time apologizing for his famous fall from grace. He was also rather kind to some of the people he worked with (or battled with) in the White House. As a matter of fact some of the other insider books on the Clinton years have not been this kind to Dick Morris. Maybe that is the danger of being one of the first out of the gate with your memoir, you can not get back at others. Overall I found the book very good. It was detailed and fun to read. The comments are well thought out and provide an interesting view into how politics works now days. Ok, his ego does pop up from time to time, but it is not so bad that it takes away from the overall book. Hey at this level they all have healthily egos. I would recommend that it be one of the books to read on the Clinton years.

Great informational guide into the game of politics!

I had to read this book for my presidency course in college. This was one of the first political books I have read other than the textbooks. I really enjoyed the writing stlye of Morris and his brilliant use of metaphors. This is a must read for any political inthusiast. It will be a tough pill to swallow for any Clinton fans. Morris does get a little egotistical in this book but that is his personality. Easy reading for a fan of the presidency.

Power Wears Out Those Who Do Not Have It, Morris Can Get It!

Dick Morris is simply one of the finest Political Advisors ever to be produced since Marcus Hanna. It puzzles me that he is not the head of the Republican National Committee or Democratic National Committee and both should worry if he ever hooks up with Jesse Ventura. If this happens it will be the end of the two party system in America. The book is full of insightful, uncommon but important facts, tidbits and information. Although it is easy for one to be a Monday Morning Quarterback about the 1992 and 1996 elections, Morris profoundly accomplishes something rarely scene in the political arena, brutal honesty and so vile in exposure that you wonder why politicians are so blind as opposed to being visionary. What I mean is, every consultant, every employee and every staff member of the RNC should be fired after reading what Dick Morris has to say in this book. They are living off of the Fat Cats contributions and doing nothing for the betterment of the party. None would last a week with a major corporation based on such sorry results. But perhaps maybe this is how the Republican Elite likes it, living in the shadows of power. Well, if they want to change hire Dick Morris with a Lifetime Contract and fire the do nothings at the RNC. As far as Democrats are concerned, hire Dick Morris so the Republicans cannot get his ideas, strategies and sense of purpose. In either case, Dick Morris like this book is somebody to respect. Excellent Pure Excellence. Highly Recommended For Anyone Interested In Politics and America's Future.

Must reading.

This is must reading for any serious student of the American Presidency and the role that the media now plays in the electoral process. Given the closeness of Morris to the president this is a surprisingly candid and detailed view of the Clinton Presidency. Any book written by the First Lady or by Clinton himself would be anti-climatic.

An Activist Republican View

A chilling (for Republicans) account by the disgraced political adviser who singlehandedly rehabilitated Bill Clinton for the 1996 presidential campaign. Once you get past the unfortunate title, this is a "must read" before the 2000 campaigns begin. Morris is self-serving, but he reveals the polling-and-TV scheme which obliterated Bob Dole and ultimately Newt Gingrich. We can learn some valuable lessons from this account:- never let a media attack go unanswered - Republicans have an innate credibility advantage on fiscal matters, crime, welfare, defense, and foreign policy- Dole could have defeated Clinton if he had seized the small-bore "values agenda" fabricated by Morris's polls and presented it from his own perspective as an honorable and credible man (claims Clinton dared not assert)There is much more here, and it can be discouraging for us street-level activists in the face of the withering "air war", but we need the facts to understand how to focus our efforts where we can be effective.