Beltway Books: T-Minus 68 weeks until Election Day

The 2008 presidential election might seem far away, but cable news indicates otherwise. This is the first of an oh-so-relevant series about books by or about politicians, wannabe politicians, talking heads, and other myriad wonks. Some weeks there might be a column. Some weeks there might just be what we think are pithy headlines and commentary and a few links. Some weeks, if we're feeling frisky, we might post a picture of a random object--say, a solar flare or a covered wagon--just to leave you wondering what possible relevance it has to the accompanying commentary.

In this first edition: The 'Politics' shelves of bookstores are swelling with books on presidential hopefuls. Last month was quite Hillary heavy.

• Her Way (Little, Brown & Company, $29.99) by Don Van Natta, Jr., and Jeff Gerth is raising a lot of hoopla for its indication that the Clintons had a "20-year plan" to dominate American politics, Bill first, Hillary second. Can't you just picture the Clintons sitting crosslegged in a candlelit Arkansas basement, pricking themselves with pins for a blood pact? Awww. Despite an endorsement from Sean Hannity and a title that makes its subject sound like a petulant thirteen-year-old, the book insists it's balanced. Van Natta says he may even vote for Hillary.
• A Woman in Charge (Knopf, $27.95) by Carl Bernstein seems to be more popular. Her Way's Amazon.com peak was a sales rank of 257, and it now languishes in the 3000's. Bernstein's reportedly more evenhanded bio hasn't dipped below 500; currently it's at a healthy 131. The New York Times liked this one better, too. Do readers find this book less biased, or do they just want to save a couple of bucks on cover price? We may never know.
• The intentions of Bay Buchanan's Extreme Makeover of Hillary (Rodham) Clinton (Regenery Publishing, Inc., $27.95), which came out in May, are pretty clear from the get-go. The cover shows Hillary as a looming, shadowy mass of crow's feet and double chins (a far cry from the black-turtlenecked Lifetime-special treatment of her 2004 autobiography). The flap copy says the author--Pat's sister--will reveal Hillary's calculating switch from far left to center as she looks to the White House. Shucks. Considering the title, I thought the book was going to be about scandalous eye lifts and chin implants.

Love or or hate her, there's a Hillary book for you.

Full analyses of Van Natta, Gerth, and Bernstein's books here and here.