First Lady Skeds Were Sanitized

Heilemann and Halperin drop plenty of 'spicy' bombshells

(NEWSER) - From Bill Clinton’s rumored affair to Harry Reid’s “negro voice” quote, John Heilemann and Mark Halperin’s Game Change is already making headlines. The book delivers a “spicy smorgasbord of observations, revelations, and allegations,” writes Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times . Some parts of it reveal “impressive legwork and access,” while others are essentially gossip or spin from particularly cooperative sources, many of whom are unnamed. More»

Bill Clinton enraged Kennedy, lost endorsement for Hillary

(NEWSER) - John McCain and Sarah Palin had their well-publicized differences on the campaign trail, but things were no better over in Camp Obama-Biden, reports Politico in a look at further details emerging from Mark Halperin and John Heilemann's new book. Game Change reports that the prez and his veep were barely speaking, and that Obama aides hid conference calls from Biden, while others "kept a tight rein on him." Elsewhere in political gossip emanating from the book: More»

Her 'war room' feared disclosure at any time

(NEWSER) - Harry Reid's comment about candidate Obama not having a "Negro dialect" is grabbing the headlines today, but an upcoming book on the 2008 election has other salacious tidbits. Marc Ambinder got an advance copy of Game Change and has highlights at the Atlantic :

• Bill Clinton was involved in a long-term affair, and Hillary's campaign set up a "war room within a war room" to deal with the feared disclosure and all problems related to Bill's "libido." The book doesn't identify the woman.

New book also claims Clinton had affair with Susan McDougal

(NEWSER) - The first history of Clinton scandal has been written, and Bill is unlikely to be happy about it. In a new book, Monica Lewinsky is quoted as saying she thinks he lied to a grand jury about their relationship, reports Politico . "There was no leeway (there) on the veracity of his statements because they asked him detailed and specific questions to which he answered untruthfully," she told author Ken Gormley, a law professor. No further specifics on the topic are offered in Politico's preview. More»

Clinton was still in contention in June: new memoir

(NEWSER) - The Obama campaign seriously considered Hillary Clinton for vice president, but ultimately the perception that her husband was "too big a complication" combined with bad memories from the primary campaign to sink her chances. Barack Obama “said if his central criterion measured who could be the best VP, she had to be included in that list," writes campaign manager David Plouffe in a new memoir, The Audacity to Win. More»