Helpful Score: 1
I have had this book, and several other Clinton books, on my shelves since before the turn of the century and never got around to reading them until it started to look like we might get another Clinton in the White House. I decided I needed to brush up, and started with a book entitled "Blood Sport" by James B. Stewart which did an excellent and impartial job of laying out the events leading to the death of Vince Foster and covered in great detail the entire Whitewater investigation. That book provided a pretty good insight into Hillary and how she does business. Bill Clinton was almost an innocent bystander; while he used his political position in Arkansas to influence lenders to make some very shaky loans, Hillary handled nearly all the paperwork - and the resulting cover-up. She'd just put stuff in front of him to sign, and he'd sign it.
"Uncovering Clinton" however covers in great detail Bill Clinton's sexual addiction and escapades and the resulting Monica Lewinsky scandal. While I am definitely no fan of the Clintons, I finished this book feeling that there were almost no characters on either side of the Lewinsky affair, including the author, who didn't come off looking pretty sleazy.
I read the book over a period of weeks at lunch, and, after reading for an hour or so, I wanted to go home and take a shower. I'm no prude - I spent over 21 years in the military, the first ten years as a bachelor - and 40% of that overseas. It wasn't the sex that put me off so much; it was the complete lack of ethics displayed on the Clinton side in the cover-up, and on the other side in trying to entrap the president. Linda Tripp came off looking particularly bad; she put herself forward as Monica Lewinsky's friend and confidant while illegally recording their phone conversations which she shared with several Clinton-haters.
I finished the book with no respect for Tripp, of for the author. He seemed more concerned with getting a scoop than with the damage which was done to many people's reputations throughout the entire depressing affair.
"Uncovering Clinton" however covers in great detail Bill Clinton's sexual addiction and escapades and the resulting Monica Lewinsky scandal. While I am definitely no fan of the Clintons, I finished this book feeling that there were almost no characters on either side of the Lewinsky affair, including the author, who didn't come off looking pretty sleazy.
I read the book over a period of weeks at lunch, and, after reading for an hour or so, I wanted to go home and take a shower. I'm no prude - I spent over 21 years in the military, the first ten years as a bachelor - and 40% of that overseas. It wasn't the sex that put me off so much; it was the complete lack of ethics displayed on the Clinton side in the cover-up, and on the other side in trying to entrap the president. Linda Tripp came off looking particularly bad; she put herself forward as Monica Lewinsky's friend and confidant while illegally recording their phone conversations which she shared with several Clinton-haters.
I finished the book with no respect for Tripp, of for the author. He seemed more concerned with getting a scoop than with the damage which was done to many people's reputations throughout the entire depressing affair.
Named best nonfiction book of 1999, Isikoff's chronicle of his role in uncovering the scandals of the Clinton era is full of the twists and turns of a novel. Well worth the time.
