Bill Had Long-Term Affair During Hillary's Campaign

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»

Game Change strikes without comment from Clinton machine

(NEWSER) - The vaunted Clinton Machine has been notably silent since the release of Game Change, a damning sign that the sources that so savage Bill and Hillary in the book are indeed former staffers and loyalists. Ben Smith of Politico emailed many of the senior aides referred to in the book, and drew no contradictions, with many offering tepid statements of support and saying they hadn’t read the book. More»

From trophy wives to Slick Willie, spouses factor more than ever

(NEWSER) - One has a life-threatening illness. One broke up her husband's earlier marriage. Several are more charismatic, and more beloved, than their mates. Never before have candidates' spouses played such an important and unpredictable role in a presidential election, writes Emily Yoffe in the Washington Post—whether they're assets, like the articulate, passionate Michelle Obama, or liabilities, like the third Mrs. Giuliani. More»

And Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin is still pretty scary: reactions

(NEWSER) - If you thought Julianne Moore's Sarah Palin was terrifying in the first Game Change teaser , wait until you see her in the full trailer, where she utters lines such as, "We have to win this thing. I so don’t want to go back to Alaska." Watch below, then read on for some reactions:

• This will clearly be "a Frankenstein-esque story about McCain’s staffers coming to regret the choice they made in bringing a little-known governor into the limelight," writes Jon Bershad at Mediaite . "The full trailer ... gives us even more famous actors getting their turn to stare in horror at the 'monster' they’ve created."