Book Review: HRC - State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton
HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton tells the story of Hillary Rodham Clinton from the time of her 2008 defeat for the Democratic Party's nomination for President of the United States, to the present, as she contemplates another run for the big prize. Written by Politico White House Bureau Chief Jonathan Allen and White House correspondent (for The Hill newspaper) Amie Parnes, the book pieces together a number of conversations from sources obviously close to the former First Lady and Secretary of State, to give the reader insight into her remarkable drive and energy.
The story begins with the loss of the 2008 campaign, the post-mortem and laying of blame (mostly at the feet of Clinton's campaign manager Patty Solis-Doyle). It goes on to describe the courtship of Hillary by President Barack Obama into the key cabinet position of Secretary of State, the mending of fences and healing of wounds from the hard fought campaign between the two party front-runners and their staffs, and the resulting trust gap that existed. A power struggle develops over whether key positions in the State Department will be filled by Obama's people or Clinton's, and we are told of the strength of confidence possessed by the new Secretary of State in setting her own terms for accepting the President's challenge.
The book goes on to describe the remarkable transition of how Hillary Clinton went from becoming Obama's chief rival to his hardest working and most trusted cabinet member. A secondary story is how Bill Clinton goes from becoming one of the people that Obama dreads contact with to becoming an important asset to his re-election in 2012. The authors also tell us of how the Clintons continue to reward their friends and smite their enemies in electoral contests, even at timed when this may conflict with the wishes of the President.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the book for me was the recounting of the details of some of the most notorious moments of Hillary Clinton's tenure at the State Department, including the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and the attack of the Benghazi State Consulate (in which Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed). The book also describes that incident's significance in the 2012 Presidential election, the subsequent senate hearings and the fallout from the incident on the political career of Hillary Clinton.
The final section of the book explores the issue of whether or not Hillary Clinton will run for President and what steps are being taken to prepare for such an eventuality. Although the authors are coy, they spend far too many pages in the book for the case to be other than their unspoken assumption that a Hillary for President in 2016 Campaign is a done deal. They even speculate on the make-up of the campaign team and fundraising operations.
The authors think very highly of their subject, writing of her ability and work ethic in glowing terms. At times this is suspect, such as when they tend to suggest that she may have been the tipping point for President Obama's decision to go after Osama Bin Laden. The authors are not overly blatant in their praise for their subject, but this book should not be confused with an objective assessment of Hillary Clinton.
At times the book is too full of dropped names of political operatives and staffers that mean nothing to the average reader, and this tends to slow the book down. At other times, stories are told of incidents involving staffers which might be of interest to Washington based gossip circles, but add little to the history of the book's subject. As a result, only about 40% of this book will grasp hold of the reader's interest, while the rest is best saved for Washington insiders.
The story begins with the loss of the 2008 campaign, the post-mortem and laying of blame (mostly at the feet of Clinton's campaign manager Patty Solis-Doyle). It goes on to describe the courtship of Hillary by President Barack Obama into the key cabinet position of Secretary of State, the mending of fences and healing of wounds from the hard fought campaign between the two party front-runners and their staffs, and the resulting trust gap that existed. A power struggle develops over whether key positions in the State Department will be filled by Obama's people or Clinton's, and we are told of the strength of confidence possessed by the new Secretary of State in setting her own terms for accepting the President's challenge.
The book goes on to describe the remarkable transition of how Hillary Clinton went from becoming Obama's chief rival to his hardest working and most trusted cabinet member. A secondary story is how Bill Clinton goes from becoming one of the people that Obama dreads contact with to becoming an important asset to his re-election in 2012. The authors also tell us of how the Clintons continue to reward their friends and smite their enemies in electoral contests, even at timed when this may conflict with the wishes of the President.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the book for me was the recounting of the details of some of the most notorious moments of Hillary Clinton's tenure at the State Department, including the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and the attack of the Benghazi State Consulate (in which Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed). The book also describes that incident's significance in the 2012 Presidential election, the subsequent senate hearings and the fallout from the incident on the political career of Hillary Clinton.
The final section of the book explores the issue of whether or not Hillary Clinton will run for President and what steps are being taken to prepare for such an eventuality. Although the authors are coy, they spend far too many pages in the book for the case to be other than their unspoken assumption that a Hillary for President in 2016 Campaign is a done deal. They even speculate on the make-up of the campaign team and fundraising operations.
The authors think very highly of their subject, writing of her ability and work ethic in glowing terms. At times this is suspect, such as when they tend to suggest that she may have been the tipping point for President Obama's decision to go after Osama Bin Laden. The authors are not overly blatant in their praise for their subject, but this book should not be confused with an objective assessment of Hillary Clinton.
At times the book is too full of dropped names of political operatives and staffers that mean nothing to the average reader, and this tends to slow the book down. At other times, stories are told of incidents involving staffers which might be of interest to Washington based gossip circles, but add little to the history of the book's subject. As a result, only about 40% of this book will grasp hold of the reader's interest, while the rest is best saved for Washington insiders.