Online since 1997 Breach, The: Inside Impeachment and Trial of William Jefferson ClintonClick on a title to get information such as reviews, price comparisons, and availability or to purchase. Search Again-Enter Keyword, Title, or ISBN: |
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Breach, The: Inside Impeachment and Trial of William Jefferson Clinton
by: Peter Baker |
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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 342.73062 EAN: 9780425172452 ISBN: 0425172457 Label: Berkley Trade Manufacturer: Berkley Trade Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 480 Publication Date: September 01, 2001 Publisher: Berkley Trade Release Date: September 04, 2001 Studio: Berkley Trade |
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  - A fascinating tour of the sausage factoryThere's an old gag: laws are like sausages - you really don't want to know how they're made. Here, in the run-up to the 2008 presidential elections, this book is still a worthy read - and not just because of the potential for the Clintons to find themselves back in the White House. Breach makes clear some very important points. First, it becomes evident that the frequent bitter charges of 'partisanship' made during the run-up to the impeachment were purely tactical - and driven by the White House. The book is oddly comforting in several respects. First, it reveals how gut-wrenching members of both parties found the situation - and how seriously most involved took it. Contrary to public opinion, this episode actually wasn't a partisan food fight. The majority of Republicans are shown as being concerned primarily with the rule of law and the concept that the President cannot be above it. The majority of congressional Democrats viewed Clinton with extreme anger and disappointment - after all, he had lied to them as well. Indeed, the earliest threat to Clinton's presidency came not from Republicans but infuriated Democrats. Views softened as the tale wore on - and most congressional Democrats sincerely did not feel that the case rose to the level of 'High Crimes and Misdemeanors.' That there were partisan attack dogs on both sides of the aisle is almost secondary to the fact that most members of Congress, regardless of party took the situation extremely seriously and agonized over it. There are no heroes in this story. One might argue that there are really no villains, either - although if not a criminal (and that's certainly still open to debate) Bill Clinton certainly emerges as a self-obsessed cad of the first order. The book is a little dry and extremely dense. Still, it's a fascinating look inside the machinations of Washington - and if it lacks for one thing, it's a better understanding of Hillary Clinton's role throughout. She's virtually invisible throughout most of the book. Given her latter-day national clout, one might wish to have a clearer view of her activities - although the idea that she would make a serious run at the White House herself was but a rumor at the time Breach was written. Rating:  - Page TurnerI don't know where the author got all of his insider material, but it is fascinating and ridiculously insightful. I could not put this book down, and began it with little interest. It was given to me by someone who accidentally bought two copies, and I am glad they did. Rating: - A Breach Too FarI am always a little hesitant to pick up a book on the impeachment or any troubles that Bill Clinton had because they are usually so partisan on one side of the story or the other. The number of books that try to stay in the middle and give a fair telling of the story is a somewhat limited group. This book has to be the gold standard for fair and impartial reporting. The author tells a story that is both infuriating and disappointing all at the same time. He does a good job of detailing out the sometime rabid prosecution of President Clinton and the rather slimy way the Democrats and Clinton got himself out of trouble. I kept looking for any bias on the authors part, especially when he was covering areas I did not feel too comfortable in reading and I just could not find any. I have always enjoyed the way Bob Woodward tells a story with all the detail. The reason I bring it up is that this author comes close to the Woodward standard. I say comes close as he has not mastered the technique of impartial, detail soaked story telling with a touch of drama. The detail was here but it did get a bit dry at times. This is a minor point as the few parts of the book I felt were a bit slow were few and far between. The author also gives the reader a nice inside look at the process. Who did what and when. I enjoyed the detail as to what the members of Congress were doing and saying. Who would have thought some many Democrats were so upset and so many Republicans were on the fence as to if the trail was right. About the only area that put a smile on my face was the actions of the Chief Justice. From the yellow arm bands to the poker playing, it was all humorous and remarkably common activity. The book ends with a small side story of who the only winner was in the whole mess. Hilary Clinton is about the only one who came through this process with something better. Even here the author stayed above the fray and gave us a straight telling of this briefly touched on topic. What I find ironic is that Bill Clinton wanted nothing more then a strong legacy and to be remembered positively in the history books. The impeachment trial grantees that an average President that would be relegated to the mediocre pile is forever going to be brought up in history as one of the few Presidents to be impeached primarily due to partisan politics. Rating: - WELL DONE!This is easily a five star book. A reviewer of David Schipper's unsurprisingly one-sided and surprisingly naive book "Sell Out" recommended this book for a unbiased view of the impeachment and I echo that recommendation! What was Mr. Baker's opinion or attitude about the impeachment process? I guess he was opposed to it. The key word in the previous sentence is "guess". My guess is based upon him being a journalist, a profession that is regrettably over populated with liberals and Democrats. His employment with the Washington Post (a.k.a. the Washington Pravda to many conservatives) further enforces my guess. However, it is just a guess because I do not recall anywhere in the book where Mr. Baker revealed his true attitude. He offered criticism to the Republican leadership as might be expected, but also criticized the Democratic leadership. Conversely, he also presented good reviews to both the Republican and and Democratic leaderships when it was called for. He even, in my opinion, sympathized at times for the poor House managers who were ridiculed and chastised for daring to take the case to the Senate when conviction was a virtual impossibility. Mr. Baker explores how the Democrats were less than satisfied with Mr. Clinton's post-grand jury speech to the nation on 17 August 1998 and how they were seriously contemplating a trip to the White House to request a resignation. Of course, the mid-term elections offered a "reprieve" and from that point on the end result of his survival was pretty much a foregone conclusion. But his actions and unconvincing words of grief and apology to all concerned were not able to prevent the actual impeachment process from continuing. I do wish Mr. Baker had waited until after Mr. Clinton left office before publishing the book. I would have been interesting to read his assessment of how the impeachment affected the 2000 campaign. But, on the flip side, his publishers might have felt it would be better to get the book out before impeachment faded completely into history and oblivion. Rating: - fair and balanced, too bad clinton was involvedThis is a very balanced view of the impeachment. The cards were laid out for Gingrinch and his difficulties, the Managers and the Senate. No one was demonized, but it is obvious that the former President Clinton is a spoiled sociopath that at some point is going to have to be dealt with. After what this book describes in detail the House vote and the Impeachment trial in the Senate, the Country was brought to a standstill on a matter that is so ridiculous, but was brought on by one silly man!With kind of distraction, it is no wonder that September 11 th happened. This book clearly brings the depth of a crisis in our government and how this dominated the agenda for a better part of almost a year and a half. The most stunning part of the book is the end, where the Author does not go into detail, but that Clinton could have generated another a scandal with the pardons after what happened in the Congress is incredible! Great book, read it in a weekend, and I am wiser for it. |
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