Praise

Description

In 2008, the presidential election became entertainment. The meteoric rise and triumph of Barack Obama. The fall of the House of Clinton—and the resurrection of Hillary as Obama's partner. The performance of John McCain and the emergence of Sarah Palin. The real story behind the headlines has yet to be told. John Heilemann and Mark Halperin use their access to pull back the curtain on the Obama, Clinton, McCain, and Palin campaigns. How did Obama convince himself that, despite the thinness of his resume, he could beat the odds to become the nation's first African American president? How did the tumultuous relationship between the Clintons shape Hillary's bid? What was behind her husband's furious outbursts and political miscalculations? Why did McCain make the novice governor of Alaska his running mate? And was Palin merely out of her depth—or troubled in more serious ways? This book answers those questions and more, laying bare the secret history of the 2008 campaign. It takes us inside the Obama machine, where staffers referred to the candidate as "Black Jesus." It unearths the quiet conspiracy in the U.S. Senate to prod Obama into the race, driven in part by the fears of senior Democrats that Bill Clinton's personal life might cripple Hillary's presidential prospects. It exposes the twisted tale of John Edwards's affair with Rielle Hunter, the truth behind the downfall of Rudy Giuliani, and the doubts of those responsible for vetting Palin about her readiness for the Republican ticket—along with the McCain campaign staff's worries about her fitness for office. And it reveals how, in an emotional late-night phone call, Obama succeeded in wooing Clinton, despite her staunch resistance, to become his secretary of state. Based on hundreds of interviews with the people who lived the story, this is an account of the campaign of a lifetime.