Rewriting History

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."

Dick Morris as a pollster and strategist is unequaled. I think many try to minimize his analysis and insight but his track record is unparalleled. He is always dead on and he usually tells it frankly and uncompromisingly. He knows both Hillary and Bill Clinton better than most. Of the crowd who has been up close and personal with the Clintons, Morris is probably the only one who will tell the unflinching truth. People like Begala never will.With that in mind, I highly recommend this book. Morris takes Hillary's flattering version of herself to task in this work. He refutes the public image she has carefully honed and penetrates to the real Hillary, particularly the political chameleon that she has been over the past 25 years. He provides specific examples, which have weight because they will stand fact checking and scrutiny. He writes in a conversational, easily readable style.For example, he shows how Hillary took pains to morph into a Martha Stewart housewife and mother, when some of her feminist comments alienated a large portion of women in this country. Morris discusses her role in the firing of civil servants at the White House Travel Office and a host of other lesser and greater scandals engulfing the Clinton presidency. By taking apart Hillary's version of herself, the public persona she wants you to accept and which is endorsed by and promulgated by willing synchophants, Morris accurately predicts what Hillary will be as a U. S. Senator and possible President.Besides being an unflinching look at Hillary's past political life, the book is prescient in its anticipation of Hillary's future political steps. Recently for example, Hillary has staked out a more conservative position on immigration reform than most conservatives. How's that for beginning another transformation? After reading Morris' book you will know that is fully in keeping with her character. Become what the polls and the public expect. The facade is not real.

Many poeple have said this book is not well researched, yet it is filled with facts and has a large section of verifiale end notes at the end of the book.Some of Morris's observations for the most part pretty fair and honest about information in the public record that may not have been consolidated in one book before. Morris has worked with the Clintons for years and has soom unique insites some are more credible then others.If you want to have an informed mind and an open mind read this book and Hillaries and decide for yourself. Too many reviews on this page are left or right, but few are objective.Try to verify Ms. Clintons facts and Morris's facts and the one who can most often verifable will be closer to the truth. I beleive that reading a book that you may not like may open your eyes to things that you may want changed. A closed book out of stuborn partisnship is a sadness, both books should be read and judged.This is America there is room for debate, in my life I have been to places where the freedom to have a different opinon does not exist. I am happy that we can have our arguemnts in the US even if they are silly