Book : The Price Of Politics - Woodward, Bob

-Titulo Original : The Price Of Politics

-Fabricante :

Simon & Schuster

-Descripcion Original:

See how and why Washington is not functioning.Bob Woodward’s freshly reported, thirty-five-page Afterword to his national bestseller, The Price of Politics, provides a detailed, often verbatim account of what happened in the dramatic “fiscal cliff” face-off at the end of 2012 between President Obama and the Republicans.Now it’s happening again. In fall 2013, Washington faces a new round of budget and fiscal wars that could derail the American and global economies. “We are primarily a blocking majority,” said Michael Sommers, Speaker John Boehner’s chief of staff, summarizing the House Republican position. It was the land of no-compromise: On health care cuts over ten years, Boehner suggested to Obama, you are $400 billion, I’m at $600 billion. “Can we split the difference here? Can we land at $500 billion?” “Four hundred billion is it,” Obama replied. “I just can’t see how we go any further on that.” After making $120 billion in other concessions, Obama pleaded with Boehner, “What is it about the politics?”“My guys just aren’t there,” Boehner replied.“We are $150 billion off, man. I don’t get it. There’s something I don’t get.” The Price of Politics chronicles the inside story of how President Obama and the U.S. Congress tried, and failed, to restore the American economy and set it on a course to fiscal stability. Woodward pierces the secretive world of Washington policymaking once again, with a close-up story crafted from meeting notes, documents, working papers, and interviews with key players, including President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner. Woodward lays bare the broken relationship between President Obama and the Congress. Review A book everyone is talking about. --Diane Sawyer, ABCA very revealing, insightful book. --Sean Hannity, Fox News, HannityRequired Reading --Elizabeth Titus, PoliticoA highly detailed dissection of the debt-limit negotiations. ... A remarkable achievement. ...Woodward, being Woodward, digs deeper and draws more out of the protagonists than anyone else has. --Jeff Shesol, The Washington PostAlmost every bookshelf in the U.S. capital holds a thin volume called 13 Days, Robert F. Kennedys account of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Memo to Washington: Make room on those shelves for Bob Woodwards latest behind-the-scenes book, The Price of Politics, which might as well have been called 44 Days. The centerpiece is a riveting account of the tedious negotiations to reach a grand bargain on the federal budget. --David M. Shirbman, Bloomberg BusinessweekBob Woodward, in characteristic fashion, does his competitors one better by filling in blanks and providing even finer detail. --Miranda Green, The Daily BeastGroundbreaking --David Gregory, NBCs Meet the PressTakes us inside the room once again. --Charlie RoseFabulous book and great reporting. --Norah ODonnell, CBS This Morning About the Author Bob Woodward is an associate editor at The Washington Post where he has worked for 50 years. He has shared in two Pulitzer Prizes, one for his Watergate coverage and the other for coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He has authored 20 national bestselling books, 14 of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. PROLOGUEThe lavish dinner at the Capital Hilton Hotel in downtown Washington on the evening of Saturday, March 11, 2006, was about the last place you would expect to find him. But there was Barack Obama, age 44, the junior senator from Illinois for only the last 14 months, in formal white-tie with tails and very much at ease in the crowd of 600. His trademark smile, broad and infectious, dominated his face as I met him for the first time.We were at the annual Gridiron Club dinner-a rite of passage for national political figures such as Obama. The crowd included President George W. Bush and most of the major politicians in Washington. It was one of Senat