jakewritesbooks's review
3.0
(3.5) You can tell from page-to-page how much fun Jimmy Breslin had writing this. One can almost hear him thrum away at his typewriter, glass of whiskey to the side. This is an inside baseball account of how the political game that led to Nixon's impeachment really worked. Breslin loses focus at times and his love of Tip O'Neil borders on hagiographic but it's still an interesting read about all of the care and caution that went into congress' approach in dealing with an unprecedented circumstance.
psteve's review
4.0
A very good book about machinations in the House of Representatives that led to the vote on impeachment that led to the resignation of Richard Nixon. Breslin was "embedded" in today's language, wth Tip O'Neil, House Majority Leader, who made the appointments to the impeachment committee. He has good profiles of O'Neil, Peter Rodino, council John Doer, and more.
The book is quite in the weeds, so don't read it if you want a roundup or history of the whole of Watergate. But Breslin's excellence at characterization, and his eye for detail in the settings, makes the weeds easier to get through. Me, I remember almost all these events, so I liked these details, and with Breslin's recent death was wanting to read him.
Of course, lots of contrasts with today. I've got to say that the GOP seemed to be a little more upstanding back then, though Nixon had his defenders, but nobody as duplicitous as Nunes has been these last few weeks with Trump. A really good scene, though, is when Tip O'Neil goes to Wyoming to make a speech, and Breslin describes how a pretty conservative bunch hung on his every word, and O'Neil knew then that Nixon had pretty much no support in the country.
Another good part of the story, early on, is when Spiro Agnew was asserting that prosecuting him for taking bribes was against the law so he could hang on. Nixon, I think, and many Republicans thought that if they kept Agnew around, chances of Nixon's impeachment were less. O'Neil agreed and wouldn't allow Agnew to get away with things. Good scenes here, and Breslin puts you right in them.
The book is quite in the weeds, so don't read it if you want a roundup or history of the whole of Watergate. But Breslin's excellence at characterization, and his eye for detail in the settings, makes the weeds easier to get through. Me, I remember almost all these events, so I liked these details, and with Breslin's recent death was wanting to read him.
Of course, lots of contrasts with today. I've got to say that the GOP seemed to be a little more upstanding back then, though Nixon had his defenders, but nobody as duplicitous as Nunes has been these last few weeks with Trump. A really good scene, though, is when Tip O'Neil goes to Wyoming to make a speech, and Breslin describes how a pretty conservative bunch hung on his every word, and O'Neil knew then that Nixon had pretty much no support in the country.
Another good part of the story, early on, is when Spiro Agnew was asserting that prosecuting him for taking bribes was against the law so he could hang on. Nixon, I think, and many Republicans thought that if they kept Agnew around, chances of Nixon's impeachment were less. O'Neil agreed and wouldn't allow Agnew to get away with things. Good scenes here, and Breslin puts you right in them.
More...