The Choice

ISBN 0684813084 - Amidst my piles of current political books, there are many like The Choice: no longer current "current event" writings that might seem outdated but actually offer an interesting perspective on today's politics. As I read my way through them, I'm surprised to find that they're still enlightening, informative and entertaining.In 1994, the campaign for the 1996 Presidential election began. Bill Clinton was pretty clearly the Democratic candidate, but the field was wide open in the Republican Party. Woodward spent time with candidates and potential candidates - Colin Powell, Pete Wilson, Lamar Alexander, Steve Forbes, Pat Buchanan, etc - for the Republican nomination, as well as their family, friends and staff. He shares the results of innumerable interviews and gives the reader a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the political landscape.We know how this one turned out. In fact, Woodward published what looks like his " Ball Four Plus Ball Five " (if The Choice is " Ball Four ") with  The Choice: How Bill Clinton Won . This book ends with 174 days to go to the general election; the other, based on the title, goes further. There's still much of interest in here. Candidate Dole gets much more ink than President Clinton, for whatever reason; considering the way things turned out, that might be a good thing because it's a bit like his political epitaph. On the other hand, the Clintons come out looking a bit insane - Hillary's friendship with Jean Houston and Bill's campaign's misuse of DNC funds, for example, and the hiring of Dick Morris and his rather childish-seeming fighting with George Stephanopoulos, all add up to make the reader marvel that the Clinton presidency went as well as it did.There's some moments that only have their "aha!" impact in retrospect. At one point, Dole talks about running for just one term with Powell as his VP, leaving Powell as the virtual incumbent. Had that scenario played out, Colin Powell, perhaps the most widely respected voice on foreign affairs, would have been president on September 11, 2001; it makes for an interesting alternative history to wonder about.Worth a read for the politics junkie, in particular. The similarities between Clinton and Obama range from obvious to surprising; the things Dole and McCain have in common are interesting, which leaves the reader wondering how many times the Republicans will try running an "old man" military veteran against a younger, inspiring Democrat. The more things change, the more they stay the same... in politics, perhaps, more than in any other arena.- AnnaLovesBooks

The following comments are for "The Choice" by Bob Woodward - audiocassette version.In retrospect the contest for the presidential election of 1996, Clinton vs. Dole, is for many an historical curiosity of marginal significance. Bob Dole got trounced and then faded into the sunset.My interest in this book has more to do with the man, Bob Dole, then the electoral outcome or the issues. Since I read his autobiography "One Soldier's Story: A Memoir" I came to the realization that Mr. Dole was not only a courageous survivor of crippling war injuries but an individual I personally admired a great deal.This book, presents the political Dole in an evenhanded manner that confirmed my high oppinion of him. Certainly Clinton is covered in great detail since it is, of course, a book about both candidates.Students of the 1996 election will find this book a helpful research tool.

I got to revisit the 1996 presidential election when I listenedto THE CHOICE, Bob Woodward's insightful account of therace between President Bill Clinton and Senate Majority LeaderBob Dole.It was a behind-the-scenes view of what took place in eachcamp . . . though the outcome never seemed in doubt, I stillliked how it made me appreciate the ups and downs ofwhat has become a two year trek to lead the nation.I also became more aware of Clinton's political brilliance . . . inaddition, THE CHOICE made me think more highly of Dole--alongwith his wife Elizabeth (who methinks might have been aneven better candidate for the top spot).The narration by Tony Roberts added to my enjoyment of this book.

Dated, yes, but well researched, well written and lots of learning lessons for todays campaigns. Each organization has fairly similiar issues-communications, goal setting and achieving, execution and more. Campaigns have all this but are temporary and time/deadline based. Decisions will results in wins or loses and the learning lessons might take years to learn. While Mr. Woodward does not have a monoply on the study of campaigns, he shows by his constant meetings with the campaigners of 1996 an inside view of the deicision making process. Well worth the time to read.

I always love reading books about politics...this one only brought back the bad taste of the dole campaign.The book was well written (no surprise there) and truly captured the people in a way that put them outside of the media's spotlight.From the onset you could see that Dole would not win...the background information on the campaign and what was going on behind closed doors was felt by those of us working the other end of the campaign.If you want to know some of the back story about the 1996 campaign...then this is the book.

Woodward carefully documents the early stages of the 1996 presidential election, covering mid-1994 to April 1996. Note that the book's coverage ends before the national party conventions. Woodward tries to give equal treatment to both parties, but Republicans clearly cooperated with him much more than Clinton's staff (who no doubt feel burned by Woodward's earlier exposé of Clinton, 'The Agenda'). More than anything else, this is a character study of Bob Dole, who candidly shared his thoughts with the author throughout the period. We also learn a great deal about Powell, Forbes, and Dick Morris.Woodward's style is not for everyone. He carefully reconstructs various meetings, explaining who said what to who. However, Woodward uses paraphrases instead of direct quotes, unless he's sure of the exact words spoken. Many readers will find the result to be incredibly tedious, although I appreciate Woodward's concern for accuracy when quoting people. The book gives the reader a real sense of being in the room when important conversations occur regarding the federal budget or campaign strategy.