Book Review: Game Change

I confess that one of the main reasons I decided to read this book was the scandal it caused for Harry Reid. Reid is quoted in the book as saying that Obama's bid for the presidency would be helped because he was a "light-skinned" African-American, "with no Negro dialect unless he wanted to have one." That kind of quote is as good as political gaffes get.

Game Change is a behind-the-scenes look at the 2008 presidential election, written by John Heilemann, national political correspondent for New York magazine, and Mark Halperin, editor at large for Time. In writing the book, the authors conducted hundreds of hours' worth of interviews with hundreds of "key players" in the 2008 election.

While it does give some attention to the Republican antics of that cycle, the book's main focus is the melodrama of the Democratic primary -- the dysfunctional Clintons, the wildly and almost inexplicably popular Obama, the train wreck life of John Edwards.

The book delves deeply into what makes the Clintons tick, and airs all of their dirty laundry. The Clintons are painted in the most unflattering terms, while for the most part, Obama is spared any real criticism. It is clear that the authors are "in the tank" for Obama, which is fine. The book is still an entertaining read. One of the most interesting insights into Hillary Clinton in the book comes when she tries to fire her campaign manager -- via email, while they're both staying at the same hotel. That episode encapsulates one of the root causes of the Clinton campaign's problems: Hillary Clinton's extreme aversion to conflict of any kind. Combined with her distaste for fundraising and her biggest political liability -- Bill -- it's little wonder that Hillary's campaign got so far off track.

The small attention the book pays the Republicans is filled with the same predictable refrains the talking heads used during the campaign: John McCain is old and grouchy with a wicked temper. Sarah Palin is an insane diva who thinks she was chosen as McCain's running mate because it was God's will. Mitt Romney is a political chameleon whose hair is too perfect. There were a few interesting tidbits, like just how ridiculously insufficient Palin's vetting process was. But if you are looking for the Republican side of this equation to receive equal treatment in this book, you will be disappointed.

Having lived through all the ups and downs of the 2008 election cycle while living here in DC, I really enjoyed this book. I remembered what I thought of certain events at the time they happened, and found it interesting to have more of the background that tied those events together. Bryan accurately predicted McCain's choice of running mate before almost anyone else, and I remember saying to him after the Republican convention that McCain might actually have a shot. In hindsight, while I certainly haven't been impressed with Obama's first year and a half, at the risk of picking a fight with you Palin lovers out there, I have to wonder how much better off we would be with a McCain-Palin Administration.

But I digress. If you have any interest in the DC political machine and what really happened behind the scenes during this historic campaign, read this book.