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Inside the White House
by Ronald Kessler (Contributor: Jeff Riggenbach)
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks (1995-06)
ISBN: 0786107529
EAN: 9780786107520
Dewy Decimal #: 973
Audio Cassette
SKU: M132110
Condition: Very Good
Comments: 0786107529 Audio book includes 7 cassette tapes and all play perfectly. Clam shell case shows minimal wear but has crack on top edge that doesnt affect functionality. Your audio book will be carefully protected for transit in sturdy, weather-resistant packaging. We are prompt, efficient, communicative.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
When Ronald Kessler's The FBI resulted in the dismissal of FBI Director William S. Sessions, it established Kessler as the preeminent examiner of secretive U.S. government organizations. Now Kessler focuses on the most myth-laden and clandestine institution of them all: the modern White House. From the hidden lives of the last seven presidents and first families to the intricate inner workings of this all-powerful institution, Kessler peels away the White House facade to reveal the fascinating and often scandalous reality behind the stately illusion. With unprecedented access to Secret Service agents, domestic servants, Air Force One Stewards, and military aides, Kessler uncovers the disturbing truth -- from Johnson's blatant infidelities to Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton's sham marriage, and from the excesses of spoiled presidential children to the legendary all-night parties in the White House's underground vaults. Exposing presidential misconduct, blunders, and cover-ups, Inside the White House dramatically lifts the cloak of secrecy surrounding the presidency and reveals the men who acted as monarchs rather than public servants. This fascinating examination ensures that Americans will never view their chief executives the same way again. Expanded and updated to include the remarkable political transformation that resulted in President Clinton's loss of power.
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Customer Reviews
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Inside the White House
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-05-15
Ronald Kessler's book is absolutely compelling from start to finish. WOW! I will never view the "Presidency" the same way, again. Truly, "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely!" Fortunately, there were a few good men...God bless Truman, Ford, and Reagan (and we need to PRAY for the ones in the future)!
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A peek at some presidents and first ladies
Rating  (3)
Date: 2005-09-16
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
This book makes interesting reading, since it lifts the curtain slightly and gives us a peek inside the White House and Air Force One. In doing so, we're able to see some of our beloved presidents and their families as they really were when behind closed doors. A few of the resulting revelations may seem startling to some but all appear to be in line with the character of those being peeked upon.
The book is essentially a compilation of observations and information gleaned from those who worked in the White House and on Air Force One, or supported the Presidents or their families, from the beginning of Lyndon Johnson's Administration up to about the middle of the Clinton Administration. It also touches briefly on President Kennedy and includes a broad discussion of Clinton's many escapades while Governor of Arkansas. In my view, this latter discussion was most likely appended because the author was unable to acquire significant information from his sources while Clinton was still in office.
The president who came across the best in this book seemed to be Ronald Reagan. The presidents who came across the worst were Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton. The first lady who came across the best was Barbara Bush. The worst would probably have to be Rosalynn Carter. The best presidential child would have to be Chelsea Clinton.
The observations and excerpts which follow reveal the tenor of the book. John F. Kennedy was a known womanizer in an unhappy marriage, but the press never reported it that way, and Jacqueline Kennedy made all staff members sign a pledge not to talk about their experiences in the White House. Lyndon Johnson was not only unscrupulous, but almost as bad a womanizer as Bill Clinton. Once, while on a trip with two governors, Johnson reportedly made the following comment in explaining why the civil rights bill was so important to him. He said it was simple: "I'll have them niggers voting Democratic for two hundred years." One of the author's sources said that President Nixon wasn't an "out-and-out thief for his own personal gain," as Lyndon Johnson was. Instead he had his staff do it. Gerald Ford liked to pass gas and then try to blame it on his Secret Service agents. Jimmy Carter micromanaged to such an extent that White House aides had to call him on Air Force One to get permission to use the tennis courts. Ronald Reagan was said to be "down to earth and easy to talk to," but Nancy was described as strict and demanding. The first President Bush was said to be so out of touch with everyday America that he was amazed to see an electronic price scanner in a supermarket checkout counter. Bill Clinton was described by one insider as "...not doing the hard work of being the CEO, of thinking, planning, and strategizing. He is a mediocre guy getting his kicks out of being the top politician in the land."
Readers of this book, of course, will have to make their own decisions as to what to believe and what not to believe, probably based on their own political persuasions. But it does make interesting reading, and I suspect that most of it is true.
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You would've thought I country bumpkin wrote this book.
Rating  (1)
Date: 2004-05-27
3 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
Johnson's part was hilarious. I was crying with laughter. But the rest of the book was boring, just a bunch of gossip. No juicy details. No funny lines. And definitely anti-Democrats.
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Biased
Rating (1)
Date: 2003-07-23
4 out of 7 customers found this reveiw helpful
This book looks to be an in-depth expose of the lives of presidents since Kennedy. However, it quickly turns into a anti-Democrat and Clinton-bashing book. Johnson is portrayed as a compulsive liar and serial adulterer and Carter is described as a disingenuous hypoctite. Reagan, on the other hand, is portrayed as a nice man who was a wonderful human being. While this may be true, it is worth noting that this is the same man who lied to the American people about his knowledge of the Iran-Contra scandal and who left office with the worst budget deficit and highest unemployment rate in American history. This man also declared war on the world power that is Granada and bombed that country back to the Stone Age. The auther seems enthralled by Reagan and repeatedly describes him as a great communicator (which he was) and a man who could make you feel good. Of course Reagan could do these things...he was an ACTOR! That is what actors do! The worst part of the book is the end. Kessler wrote this piece in 1995, just over 3 years into the Clinton presidenc. Yet, criticism of Clinton dominates the book and is almost 2.5 times as long as the chapters on Reagan, Johnson, and Nixon who each served over 4 years. Kessler condemns the press for not investigating Clinton's lies about his philandering and makes the case that since Clinton can't keep his Billy in his pants he is unfit to be president. If that were the ultimate judge of a man's ability to govern a country, most of the world's countries would be left without a leader. Also, U.S. presidents throughout history have had mistresses: Jefferson, Cleveland, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Roosevelt among others. The fact is this book does not reveal any bombshells about president's secret lives; all it reveals is Clinton's healthy extramarital sexcapades. Clinton-haters should love this book, though there are better books available on the subject.
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wanted to give this a 5 rating
Rating (3)
Date: 2003-06-26
3 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
i wanted to give this a 5 rating but after finishing it, you notice that carter and clinton are so much more picked apart than nixon, ford, regan and bush. the republicans are held, for the most part, in highter esteem than the democrats. i recommend this book still though.
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