Friday, April 16, 2010

The ego monster

The O'Brien will be out of the office for the next few days. I'll be presenting at a writer's conference in Toledo, Ohio.

Now for a recommendation in my absence. I'm reading Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin and finding it completely engaging. It's the inside story of big politics for little political junkies and I can't get enough.

But here's the kicker: the most fascinating player thus far in these pages is John Edwards. I simply cannot peel my eyes from him.

That a man who was so close to being the Democratic candidate for President was screwing a broad whose business card read, "BEING IS FREE: RIELLE HUNTER—TRUTH SEEKER," stuns me to no end. And just wait'll you get a load of Elizabeth.

Need a better teaser? Dig this excerpt.

I'll just say it. Edwards was the hidden Palin of the Democratic party in 2008. Thank Christ he didn't make it out of the primaries.

I'm only on Chapter 10. I just hope this book can keep on delivering. I haven't even gotten to McPalin yet.

When I'm done with this, I intend to start tackling this list, at least in part. The interviews I've heard with Lewis on The Big Short have my eye teeth dripping.

Have a great weekend everybody.

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6 comments:

Kalei's Best Friend said...

Erin, u said it well, definitely the hidden Palin...ewwww..........too bad his friend took the fall for him...then again, not much of a friend...hth could anyone ask someone to do that..

Erin O'Brien said...

There are plenty of political books with plenty of gossip. You never know who's telling "the whole truth."

I love that Heilemann and Halperin are both salty journalists who know the rules, which lends them no small amount of credibility for me.

The thing with Edwards is, whether you want to believe it or not, the fact of the baby remains, so someone was diddling around. And whenever there's diddling, there's drama. I think Heilemann and Halperin get as close to the truth as anyone can.

Great read.

Jen said...

thanks for posting the link to the article. what an amazing read!

it just shows how people get carried away by power & money. throw in good looks and you end up with the ego monster.

the stuff about st. "elizabeth" was the most intriguing.

also- that hunter broad is a mess.

Kalei's Best Friend said...

yep the baby!.. look how frickin' old she is... wth happened to birth control? looks like she missed sex ed growing up.. or she wanted to get pregnant... what a dummy...

Coll said...

"Eye teeth dripping." Love it!

Jack Cluth said...

"Game Change" is a book I would also highly recommend.

A book I would highly recommend is "Baseball Gospels" by Dirk Hayhurst. Even if you're not a baseball fan, this book is more about life than the game itself. I read it in two days. It's a wonderful read!