Amazon.com Review It's one thing to review a book by pounding out a few hundred words of criticism but it's quite another to review a book by writing an entirely new book. That's what Dick Morris, former advisor to President Bill Clinton, has done in Rewriting History, an energetic response to Hillary Clinton's Living History. Mrs. Clinton, Morris warns, is on a direct path to the White House due to a lack of Democratic alternatives and a leftward trend in the nation; therefore America must evaluate who she really is and not just what her memoir says. Morris's book is actually remarkably similar to the slew of attack books published about recent presidents but with the crucial difference that Hillary is at the very least four years away from the Oval Office. So Morris's criticisms of her, though backed up by a 20-year relationship with the Clintons, are rarely more than speculative, worrying about what she might do and asking ominous questions that are inherently unanswerable. Hillary Clinton, in Morris's view, is a much more insecure, disingenuous, and calculating creature than "Hillary," the palatable political product that won election to the Senate in 2000 and she's also an inferior politician to her husband. But as a political operative who has worked for both conservatives and liberals, Morris's indictments of Clinton evolve into a grudging respect as he demonstrates her considerable political resolve. All the same, he refutes many passages in her book with his own accounts of what transpired and indicts her integrity and behavior dating back to Bill Clinton's early career in Arkansas. Going forward, he says, she must decide whether to rely on her behind-the-scenes political acumen or embrace actual convictions. Often, Morris puts Clinton in no-win situations. For instance, while First Lady, she decides to get a dog, a decision that Morris infers is entirely politically motivated despite Clinton saying that it was because daughter Chelsea had moved out. Thus, if she had "admitted" her motivation was political, it would be an admission of cynicism and manipulation, but if she protests that her motives were simpler, Morris would have us believe that she's just lying. Nowhere is it allowed that the woman may have just wanted a dog. Rewriting History, co-written by Morris's wife Eileen McGann, offers a pleasing blend of Washington (and some Little Rock) gossip along with its political strategizing and is more valuable as insider scoop than presidential road map. Fans of Hillary Clinton will find little to alter their view and those who oppose her will find plenty of talking points for all the years of future debates that Hillary Clinton will surely inspire. --John Moe
Product Description She is the most ruthless American politician since Richard M. Nixon. Like Nixon, she feels aggrieved by almost the entire political establishment. Hillary is hunted by those she sees as her enemies and, like the ousted president, she observes no boundaries in the way she battles them. Now, for the first time, Fox News political analyst and former Clinton adviser Dick Morris tums his sharp-eyed gaze on Hillary, the longtime First Lady, current New York senator, and bestselling author. For, as he argues, no politician in America today is better aligned to become president in 2008 - and none would bring more baggage to the White House -- than Mrs. Clinton. In Rewriting History, Morris draws on his own long working relationship with the Clintons, as well as his trademark deep research and candid, nonpartisan analysis, to create a rebuttal to Hillary's bestselling autobiography, Living History. Morris documents how Hillary hides her true self behind a "HILLARY" brand that is chatty, charming, giggly, and warm -- but is far from her true personality. In Rewriting History, Morris pierces the mask to get at the truth behind the distortions and omissions of Hillary's memoir. Here we meet the real Hillary, both good and bad: the manager who makes the trains run on time, but also the paranoid who sees all those who disagree with her as personal enemies; the idealist, but also the "advice addict" easily misled by the guru of the moment. Morris describes Hillary's sense of entitlement, and warns that it may lead deep into financial scandal. And he demonstrates how Hillary dodges criticism by pretending that every attack is directed not just at her, but at every working woman in America. Ultimately, Morris argues, the HillaryClinton of today is marketing a false front, obscuring both her wants and her assets behind the phony facade of a domestic Everywoman. But as she pursues higher office, she also faces a choice. Will she, like Bobby Kennedy, see the error of her ruthless ways, and embrace the sincere idealism she professes? Or, like Richard Nixon, will she allow the darker angels of her nature to overcome her, jeopardizing herself and the country in the process? As Rewriting History suggests, we can only hope that Hillary Clinton's past performance is no guarantee of future results.
a very enlightening read.September 30, 2008 The facts on HILLARY by an insider. A lot of reasons she should never be elected president or for that matter anything else.
Very satisfied!August 8, 2008 I have not had the opportunity to utilize all of the purchases I have made. The items I have used were as advertised, or better. The shopping experiences that I have had with Amazon have been relitively simple. I have, in most cases, found what I was seeking. The sellers have provided products as they were described or better. With all the purchases I have made the products arrived in very good condition and sooner than I expected. I will continue to shop through Amazon and recommend it to my friends.
Dick reveals himslf more than he reveals HillaryMarch 1, 2008 0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Dick Morris is part of an industry whose job is to package political candidates and Hillary Clinton is an intellectual and liberal whose political character is based on an attempt to be honest in the hurricane of hypocrisy, back stabbing and amorality that is modern American politics. Hillary's political character has been hammered out in the smithy of late 20th century American politics. Dick Morris is a manufacturer of politicians and that is all the difference.
Rewriting History is a sustained accusation of hypocrisy and moral turpitude, as all such "tell all" books are.
A major complaint of Rewriting History is that Hillary Clinton didn't follow Dick Morris's advice, which was to "appear" to have a "better" character.
But character is impossible to manufacture. In addition, a political character is easy to assassinate but difficult to fathom. In politics, character consists of keeping an even keel and a strong moral compass among people, most of whom claim to be "friends" merely so that they can get something from you and who will stab you in the back when they can't use you anymore. Abraham Lincoln, among many others, said "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." No one is immune from all of the temptations of power and all are subject to the failures that such temptations sometimes provoke. It is in the balance of moral successes and failures that one must look for political achievement.
Rewriting History ends by comparing Hillary to Richard Nixon and Bobby Kennedy. But similarities in character are not revealed by superficial qualities such as being an excellent and disciplined student. No two people could be more different than Richard Nixon and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Nixon came from a Quaker background and began life as a moralist who started his political career as a communist witch hunter. Bobby Kennedy was the son of an Irish bootlegger and womanizer. He too began his political career as a communist witch hunter. His arrogance and ruthlessness were tempered and finally subdued by the events of the 60's, including the assassination of his brother, but we can't know if he would have transcended his problematic beginnings and his uncertain character, and made even a good president not to mention a great one. There are virtually no similarities between Hillary Clinton and Bobby Kennedy.
Hillary "is a flawed instrument. If she continues to hide behind the HILLARY brand, a second Clinton presidency would do vastly more harm than good. But the question lingers: Will she grow?"
Rewriting History looks at the surface of Hillary Clinton's political character and not at its substance. I don't claim to know Hillary's heart and character but I can say that this book offers no help.
I am not a political supporter of Hillary Clinton: From my limited access to, and knowledge of, the political characters of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama I lean towards Barack Obama in the race for the 2008 presidential nomination. But to gain real knowledge of Hillary Clinton's political character, I can't recommend Rewriting History which seems to me to be essentially, "superficial."
A Balanced Deconstruction of the Hillary Rodham MystiqueJanuary 27, 2008 3 out of 5 found this review helpful
A Balanced Deconstruction of the Hillary Rodham Mystique
Dick Morris, the Machiavellian inventor of the process of "triangulation" and a "Clinton insider," has written a sobering but a very balanced analysis of Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton. In my view it is the definitive deconstruction of the famous ex-First Lady's hidden public persona and mystique. The perfect antidote to her own "self-promoting," but lifeless "Living History."
Unlike Barbara Olson's "Hell to Pay," Morris does not get sided-tracked trying to paint Mrs. Clinton into, and then trying to keep her inside the lines of a "self-fulfilling Leftwing Radical Box." He simply tells the truth, as he knows it, without hype, without anti-Hillary angst, and without failing to mention the ex-First Lady's good side.
The good news is that Hillary Clinton is a normally intelligent (but not brilliant like her husband, or as the media has portrayed her to be), well-organized person with a genuine interest in children and women's issues. She is an excellent linear thinker and problem solver, but not a creative one. She can be single-minded and driven, despite often not knowing where the end-states are, or from where the results might come.
The bad news is that she is intellectually shallow, not a deep thinker, mean-spirited, secretive, paranoid, vindictive, inclined to lie for no apparent good reason other than to elevate her own self-image. She carries herself with an unearned sense of her own importance and entitlement. She is driven by grand utopian theories and loses focus easily when they must be translated into practical outcomes - as was the case with the single issue assigned to her during her husband's tenure, healthcare.
Although her "resume" is superficially impressive, her "actual accomplishments" are meager in the extreme. And finally, although Hillary is inner-directed, she needs a Guru or a leader and seems unhappy and insecure in her own skin. Said another way, although Hillary is uneasy with others, she also appears to be in bad company when alone. Her formative experiences seem to have twisted her character in such a way, that of the two politicians her career most resembles and parallels, she is more like Richard Nixon than RFK.
Morris' conclusion: that electing Hillary (to reuse her husband's Charley Rose metaphor) would be a "true roll of the dice." Her professional attributes and her character make up a potent and potentially fatal witches brew of defects - so much so that to take a chance on her for the challenges of the 21st Century would indeed be a risky proposition for this nation. Five stars
A Great ReadJanuary 17, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Regardless of what some others have said, I enjoyed this book. Dick Morris presented his thoughts in a very logical and interesting order. If nothing else, he has achieved his goal of making me really think about what a Hillary Presidency would bring us. Highly recommended.
