TERRY MCAULIFFE – WHAT A PARTY BOOK REVIEWS

January 23, 2007(Bloomberg)

McAuliffe Rips Kerry `Malpractice' in Memoir: Margaret Carlson
By Margaret Carlson

-- Political memoirs are always plump with exaggeration. Grandiosity comes with the territory. In Terry McAuliffe's ``What a Party: My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals,'' there's a thin book inside a fat one
crying to get out. Like its title, the reminiscences are overlong and too
carefully vetted.

Still, it is satisfying to see the former Democratic National Committee chair take off the gloves and wax furious with Sen. John Kerry for blowing the 2004 campaign.

It's also satisfying to read an account by someone who loves the game so much. McAuliffe's enthusiasm for politics dates from age 14: His Dad was Onondaga party treasurer and the son was paving driveways to earn money for contributions to the campaigns of candidates he thought could make a difference.

``What a Party'' is, at least in part, a primer for young people asking why they should get involved and a reminder to reporters of why they climb on buses like schoolchildren in Iowa and New Hampshire well after they should have graduated to grown- up jobs. McAuliffe made the Democratic machinery hum. While a dubious distinction to those of us who think money is the bane of both parties, in 2004 McAuliffe was the first Democratic Party chairman to raise more money than the GOP. He dragged its technology into the 21st century and handed over the gavel to Howard Dean with no debt and $4 million in the bank.

But there'd be no book if McAuliffe wasn't basically an excitable Labrador puppy. Everyone is his friend, including his enemies. His best friend is Bill Clinton, who was the youngest ex-governor in U.S. history when they first met and Clinton asked the 23-year-old whiz kid -- he'd been finance chairman on the Carter-Mondale campaign -- for advice on his comeback.
Unsurprisingly, McAuliffe already has jumped on the Hillary- in-'08 bandwagon. Though McAuliffe seems to have spent more time alone with the Clintons than anyone save Chelsea, those reading the book for insights into that most mystifying of political marriages will have to look elsewhere. Where the candor comes in is in attacking not just Republicans but the
party's candidate in 2004, John Kerry.

What ticked off McAuliffe the most is that Kerry was hoarding money -- $15 million -- while Ohio was lost. He comes close to calling the campaign managers, if not their standard- bearer, liars for not revealing that they had the cash when it could have won some close Senate races if not the presidency. What were they saving it for? It was ``gross incompetence,'' he
wrote, ``un-fucking-believable.'' Sucker Punches Equally infuriating was Kerry's unwillingness to respond to the relentless sucker punches thrown by the opposition. For a scrapper like McAuliffe -- who tells a ripping tale of wrestling an alligator, whose jaw muscles carry a thousand pounds of pressure, for a $15,000 campaign contribution -- you return every blow. McAuliffe pounds Kerry for dodging the Swift Boat Veterans attacks; McAuliffe, for his part, punched back every chance he got.

When Matt Lauer asked the president, ``Can we win the war on terror?'' and Bush replied, ``I don't think you can win it,'' McAuliffe couldn't wait to get Kerry from Nantucket to a heartland location to respond -- but couldn't reach the candidate or anyone on his campaign staff. When he turned on the network news that night, he saw his nightmare come to life. ``There was John in the water with his Windsurfer,'' he writes, ``being asked if he could win the war on terror. `Absolutely,''' he said, continuing to sway in the breeze.

`Political Malpractice'

McAuliffe sums up Kerry's decision to back off criticism of Bush as one of the ``biggest acts of political malpractice in the history of American politics.'' It's remarkable that McAuliffe has a book at all in that party chairmen are backstairs people. As Bobby Riggs told Billie Jean King, you're supposed to ``stand in the alley and don't hit anything that doesn't hit you first.''
McAuliffe swung all the time and hit much of the time. Even when he missed, he had fun. It's enough to make you want to run for office.

``What a Party'' is published by Thomas Dunne Books (416 pages, $24.95). return to top

January 25, 2007(Amazon.com)

"What A Party!, Reviewer: Pamela Keogh "Author" (New York, NY)

I went to hear TMcA read in NYC last night... what a blast! He is the quintessential Irish pol (by way of upstate New York who has, curiously, picked up an occasional Southern accent). At any rate, the place was packed and McAuliffe had them rolling in the aisles. He is a true believer who practically makes you want to quit your job to join a (preferrably Democratic) campaign. I stayed up until 1:00am and finished his book. A great ride, a great read. McAuliffe has been in many powerful rooms, and is not afraid to tell us how the game is played. Fascinating stuff.

What a life this man has had... I finished reading it and thought: the Clintons aside, anyone would be fortunate to have such a great friend as him. Really -- a terrific book." return to top

As Accurate and Honest as it Gets!, Reviewer: Alfred J. Puchala Jr.

This is a phenominal look at how things really work at the upper level of politics in our country! Very few people have had McAuliffe's political vantage point over the last few decades, and hardly anyone has had the inclination and talent to so accurately describe what happens and more importantly why they happen. What so impressed me is how honest the assessment is - McAuliffe calls the game the way he sees it, and its not always necessarily in his favor. This is a must read for anyone interested in understanding and fixing this country's state of affairs!
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January 28, 2007 (Amazon.com 5 Star Review)

Terry McAuliffe gets his Irish up about Politics and Life!
Reviewer: Erin Esposito (Rochester, New York)

When one combines a charismatic, handsome, intelligent and determined Irish man with a zest for life and adventure, you're sure to get quite a fascinating life story to read! This is such the case with "What A Party!" - every single page of the book is extremely enjoyable and fun to read - as Terry McAuliffe's ability to live up to the Irish's reputation as eloquent storytellers is displayed with each story he shares in his biography.

Terry recalls the time when he started his own business, at the ripe age of 14, and "borrowed" one of his uncle's trucks to start off his life's work in the business of making money and networks. He never looked back from that point forward - as he made a meteoric rise in local politics as well as on a national and international level.

The close-knit friendship between the Clintons and the McAuliffes is ever so apparent and clearly a bond which is mutually valued by both families. The fact that Terry is a genius who gets his energy being around a wide variety of people - from all walks of life - and living life to the fullest extent (as if wrestling an alligator for campaign fundraising isn't bold enough!) is perhaps the common bond shared between Bill Clinton and his Irish friend from Syracuse.

An excellent read - regardless if you are a Clinton fan or not, regardless of your interest (or lack thereof) in politics - about a man who is in the prime of his life and has pretty much just about "been there, done that" and only continues to seek out the fun in life.

No doubt this book is going to become a classic in political memoirs, so be sure to get your copy and enjoy every moment of reading it! return to top

Terry McAuliffe gets his Irish up about Politics and Life!
Reviewer: Erin Esposito

When one combines a charismatic, handsome, intelligent and determined Irish man with a zest for life and adventure, you're sure to get quite a fascinating life story to read! This is such the case with "What A Party!" - every single page of the book is extremely enjoyable and fun to read - as Terry McAuliffe's ability to live up to the Irish's reputation as eloquent storytellers is displayed with each story he shares in his biography.

No doubt this book is going to become a classic in political memoirs, so be sure to get your copy and enjoy every moment of reading it!

What A Read!, Reviewer: Addisu S. Demissie

I picked up "What A Party" the first day it came out and - no lie - I did not put it down until I was finished. McAuliffe is a master of most trades, but I can say for certain that storytelling is among his best. And the man has a whole book's worth of some really great stories. So if you have any interest in Democratic politics, the Clinton presidency, the 2000 and 2004 campaigns, or just an amazing life story, you should definitely buy a copy of "What A Party" right away. I couldn't recommend it more! return to top

What a Storyteller!, Reviewer: Paul E. Begala

I've known Terry McAuliffe for almost 20 years. I've worked with him, fought alongside him -- hell, our boys play on the same basketball team. But this book told me a lot about Terry I didn't know. And (I'm embarrassed to say) a lot about politics as well. Terry didn't just kiss the Blarney Stone, he chewed it up, swallowed it and made it part of every fiber of his being. But more than an Irishman's gift of gab, this book is filled with insights into politics, including the answer to the toughest question: Why would a guy worth millions, with a gorgeous wife and five great kids, spend so much time helping Democrats win elections? Because he's never forgotten that the Democratic Party is the party of the people, the party of the American Dream, the party of the forgotten middle class. And all of us who have climbed from immigrant roots to the top can only justify our rise by helping the next bunch of folks climb as far as they can.

No one would begrudge McAuliffe if he'd retreated into his wealth, golfing with tycoons at exclusive country clubs. Instead, he's used all the blessings of liberty he's been given to widen the winner's circle, deepen the meaning of freedom, and broaden the American Dream for everyone.

If you want to tell your neighbors why you're a Democrat, or if you've ever wondered what we Clinton Democrats stand for, this book is a must-read.

I don't review a lot of books. And Terry has no idea I've written this. But unlike most Washington phonies, I've actually read this book, and so I recommend it wholeheartedly.
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What an Inspiration, Reviewer: K. Pessolano

Terry McAuliffe tells a great story, full of laughs, contagious enthusiasm, and insights from his adventures in life and politics. What a Party! is a really interesting glimpse into the process and into some of the great Democratic leaders of our time from someone who uniquely knows them. I'm inspired after reading it! return to top

February 4, 2007 (The New York Times Book Review)

The Operator, Reviewed by RICK PERLSTEIN

WHAT A PARTY!: My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists,
Alligators, and Other Wild Animals.
By Terry McAuliffe with Steve Kettmann.

Illustrated. 406 pp. Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin¹s Press

I was standing there having a casual conversation with King Juan Carlos, my occasional hunting partner, when we were joined by Blair and his charming, outspoken wife, Cherie, and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi,² Terry McAuliffe, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and chairman of Hillary Rodham Clinton¹s presidential campaign, writes in his memoir, ³What a Party!² It comes somewhat after ³I sat at the president¹s table near Clinton, who was between Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren. ... Dorothy was at another table sitting between Muhammad Ali and Jack Nicholson²; but before ³Hillary saw Dorothy² < McAuliffe¹s wife < ³and invited the entire family down to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic to stay at Julio
Iglesias¹s spectacular oceanfront estate.²

But don¹t get Terry wrong. ³I have always been oblivious to celebrity.²

McAuliffe always seems to have people telling him things like: ³We cannot let them fail on this project. I¹ll commit up to 10 million.² Or: ³Whatever you¹re short, I¹ll write the difference.² And: ³Terry, how big does this number have to be? I¹ll write it right now.² But what McAuliffe would really have you know is that he¹s just a big, sloppy Irish mutt of a guy. Like the time, delighting the party faithful at a fund-raiser at the MCI Center in Washington in 2000, at which many guests paid $25,000 a table < dress code: bluejeans; bill of fare: barbecue < he read out the menu of the Republican black-tie reception the month before: ³Karnut and colusuri rices with wheatberry, whatever all that is. ... In Syracuse, New York, where I grew up, Millie McAuliffe never made this kind of food.²

A month and a chapter later he¹s in Los Angeles saving the financially floundering Democratic National Convention, somehow having made his peace with haute cuisine: ³That first night I went to dinner at Spago. ... I knew we would just have to find a way to raise $10 million.²

At least McAuliffe < and his co-author, Steve Kettmann, Jose Canseco¹s collaborator on ³Juiced² < come by their blarneyful tone honestly: telling stories with a drink in his hand has made Terry what he is today. His career as a Democratic fund-raiser (minus the cocktails) started when he as 6, he tells us, when his father, treasurer of the Onondaga County Democratic Party, had him work the door at the party¹s annual dinner. (³Terry, if they don¹t give you the money, they don¹t get in the door. No exceptions.²) It¹s all a bit of a blur from then on (³I was in politics to make a difference and to fight for people like folks back in Syracuse. ... That was why I buckled down and decided it was time to make some money. I knew that without financial independence I would be a slave to fate²). There are, however, six and a half pages on a memorable trip to Camp David with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (there¹s bowling!), and three on a delightful afternoon of golf with the president at the Army-Navy Club. ³To me, golfing with the president was a great chance to get to know the man Bill Clinton,² that particular yarn concludes. Clinton ³supporters² < Terryspeak for ³donors² < learned that, too; so many were able to join the president¹s foursomes, Time once reported, that the joke became, ³McAuliffe runs Clinton¹s pro shop.²

McAuliffe taught Democrats that to win they had to learn to play with the billionaires. But there were, as the economists say, ³opportunity costs.² In 400 pages of blow-by-blow, onemomentous event passes with barely a whisper: the 2002 elections. Some hoped that President Bush¹s ties to Enron would make 2002 a Democratic year. Instead, Democrats lost the Senate. As the televised face of the party, McAuliffe got in some hard punches on Enron, but Republicans replied that he himself had made an $18 million profit from a mere $100,000 investment in the controversial communications company Global Crossing.

Sour grapes, McAuliffe insists, quoting his comeback to Sean Hannity: ³What are you, jealous or something? ... It was a great company.²

Some would disagree < pointing to the ugly way the chairman, Gary Winnick, later misled Global Crossing¹s stakeholders about its financial health, pauperizing them from a palatial office known, internally, as the Oval Office (perhaps in honor of the $1 million he gave to Bill Clinton¹s
presidential library). McAuliffe settles that score by writing, ³The S.E.C. ruled after a four-year investigation that nobody had committed any wrongdoing at Global Crossing.² (A Justice department inquiry was also dropped without charges.) You might say the more proximate wrongdoing was going on TV in an election year in which corporate greed was the Democrats¹
best issue and saying a company that had only not quite swindled millions of pensioners and individual investors was ³great² < and then being so un-self-aware as to brag about it in your memoir.

The two Democrats most at ease around rich businessmen also happened to be the party¹s most effective economic populists: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson. They were so at ease, in fact, they did what today¹s ³business friendly² Democrats do not: demand, in no uncertain terms and to their faces, that they cease antisocial corporate practices. Democrats
certainly owe a debt of gratitude to McAuliffe. He retired the national committee¹s $18 million debt, built a gleaming new headquarters, updated the party¹s technological infrastructure. But he also served them a debt in the process: conveying to Democrats that the road to success lies in forgetting that populist skill.

By his own account, his friends are always selfless, whether it¹s Dick Gephardt driving four hours to pick out just the right puppy for the McAuliffe kids or a strip-mall builder doing a financial favor for the Democrats (³Terry, we¹ve got to do this for the sake of the party²). By his
own account, too, McAuliffe is always a hero: he saves the Democratic Party (several times); he even saves a small, struggling independent bank (it¹s a wonderful life). But in real life there¹s always a cost, and the political effects of McAuliffe¹s rehabilitation of the Democrats among the wealthy may be nugatory.

Shortly after the disappointing 2004 elections, he¹s talking strategy ³with the president and Hillary.² All agreed the Republicans won because ³they inflamed their strong supporters with emotional talk of abortion and gay marriage.² But this is simply not true as an analysis of that campaign. Bush¹s performance among heavy churchgoers was no different in 2000 and
2004. The extra margin that gave him a popular majority, his first, consisted of voters who made more than $100,000 a year. Those voters made up 15 percent of the electorate in 2000, and 54 percent of them voted for Bush; in 2004, at 18 percent of the electorate, 58 percent of them upported Bush. Rich people may have given more than they ever had to the Democrats, but
they didn¹t vote more for Democrats; they voted less. And the money they kicked in, whatever else it did, wasn¹t successful in disseminating a message convincing enough to people making under $100,000 to make up the gap.

³People ask me all the time what the trick to fund-raising is. They always want to hear that there is some secret. But it¹s simple enough, and I¹ll spell it out in black and white: As a fund-raiser you¹re selling belief. You¹re selling vision. You¹re selling hope. You¹re selling dreams.² The
question is: what dreams, and whose? You won¹t find that difficult discussion here. But did you know that Kirk Douglas is ³just like he is in all his movies²?

Rick Perlstein is the author of ³Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus.² return to top
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/books/review/Perlstein.t.html?ref=review
(link to review)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/books/bestseller/0211besthardnonfiction.html
(link to NYT bestseller list)

February 5, 2007 (Pacific Palisades, Ca USA)

What A Party, Reviewer: David K. Reyes "Duke Reyes"

Let me first admit that I don't have a Democratic bone in my body. However, I have known Terry for over 25 years and found him to be a great American, a patriot, and a guy I would want on my side in a street (any) fight. Although I disagree with him on many of his political points, let me say this about his book. Read it. It is a classic! I can't remember laughing out loud as much since first reading "Lonsome Dove". I could not put it down. Like all the great Irishman I know (I'm half) never, never, let the truth get in the way of a great story. This book is one great story after another! Pure joy!

Duke Reyes Los Angeles, Ca. Feb. 5, 2007 return to top

February 7, 2007 (Amazon 5 Star Review)

If you're a loyal Republican (and I'm anything but) you'll probably want to read the first few pages of "What a Party!"...up to the point where Terry McAuliffe starts his McAuliffe Driveway Maintenance business at the age of sixteen. You'll get the idea that Terry works hard and thinks big. Beyond that point, however, watch out! This book is one big delightfully funny partisan romp from the Carter years through Bush 43. Along the way, McAuliffe raises tons of money for the Democrats, becomes close to the Clintons, butts heads with more than a few, knocks back a few cold ones from time to time and tells some of the best stories from the political world.

Terry McAuliffe is a self-described "Irish storyteller" and if you like Democrats, you'll love this book. return to top

February 8, 2007(The Daily Texan)

Terry McAuliffe is the kind of guy you can hang out and knock back a beer or two with.
Catapulted into the political arena at the ripe young age of 14, McAuliffe is both loud and proud about his political convictions. His memoir, "What a Party!" is a refreshing take on strict party-line politics. Using humor to expound his position on critical issues like the occupation in Iraq, the handsome and charismatic politician - and good friend of the Clinton family - manages to put a human face on the Democratic Party.

What makes his book an exception to the hodgepodge of pseudo-intellectual political writing that you find at bookstores is not the message itself - he has views similar to most Democrats - but the manner in which the message is conveyed. "What a Party!" should be cherished for its often-hilarious inside accounts of the political machine.

Consider McAuliffe's firsthand account of the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York: "Everywhere I went, the sight of me ... was enough to wipe the smiles off their faces." With angry conservatives yelling things at him like, "You bleeping commie," McAuliffe merely looks on in amusement, managing to yell back, "You're lucky I'm here! I'm saving America!"
That's just the type of person he is: confrontational, energetic and utterly committed to the political game.

The real fun in reading his book is when he talks about John Kerry. When the Democrats lost Ohio in 2004, Kerry was hoarding funds from his campaign, thereby costing Democrats certain Senate races. McAuliffe's response to that blunder is admirable for its brevity. "Un-fucking-believable," he said.

As former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, McAuliffe never lets up attempting to subvert the Republican Party to what he believes is the most rational, workable and morally justifiable response to post-Sept. 11 political crises.

And that begs the question, what does a party chairmen actually do? It used to be that these people were behind-the-curtain workers. But McAuliffe loves the spotlight. His appearance on "The Daily Show" and other nationally-syndicated television programs only serves to prove the point. Here is a relentlessly passionate man, the Democrats' answer to people like Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity. Here is a man who is committed to government. He even wrestled an alligator once for campaign fundraising. And he's already jumped on board the "Hillary for President '08" campaign.

This leads to the crux of the matter: how can McAuliffe love politics so much, while so many of us have become discouraged and lost interest? The answer comes from a quote by Theodore Roosevelt, who said, "It is not the critic who counts ... credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood ... who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement."

More fun than informative

Looking for deep Democratic strategy? This book isn't it. But if you want to hear how Barbra Streisand stepped in dog poop, this political operative's telltale tome is for you.

A more erudite reviewer would tell you to stay away from former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe's new memoir, What a Party!

That critic would bash 400 pages of self-serving partisan bluster, surely noting that McAuliffe was among the biggest culprits in turning national politics into a big-money cesspool. He would scoff at McAuliffe constantly depicting the Democrats as the party of the little guy, even as What a Party! makes it sound like McAuliffe rarely hung with anyone who couldn't afford a personal chef and pedicurist.

All valid points. But me? I'd rather read about Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow sucking face beside Bill and Hillary Clinton at Camp David than another lament about the demise of public campaign financing.

This inquiring mind is thrilled to learn that Barbra Streisand, after initially refusing to allow bomb-sniffing Secret Service dogs onto her Malibu Hills spread for a Clinton Library fundraiser, promptly stepped in Secret Service dog turds.

I appreciate reading that just before then-Rep. Bill Nelson flew into space in 1986, the Kennedy Space Center patched through a call from McAuliffe hitting up Nelson for $5,000.

"Holy cow, Terry, I'm about to go up in the shuttle," Nelson said. "Are you nuts?"

What a Party! is loaded with shameless spin, self-promotion and ridiculously sweeping attacks on Republicans. It also happens to be a terrific read that should make partisans of all stripes laugh out loud and appreciate the colorful passion - and absurdities - in American politics.

You've probably seen McAuliffe's overcaffeinated spinning on cable news shows and understand why one prominent South Carolina Democrat likened McAuliffe to "a ferret on crank."

But even the most loyal Republican may finish this book, co-authored by Steve Kettman Jose Canseco's collaborator on Juiced, appreciating McAuliffe's scrappy and ever-amiable style. McAuliffe even throws out praise for Republican true believers such as former Republican National Committee chairmen Ed Gillespie and Haley Barbour.

McAuliffe's wife, Dorothy, is from Winter Park (daughter of elite Democratic fundraiser Richard Swann). What a Party! is naturally loaded with Florida anecdotes, from his wrestling an alligator to nab a $15,000 check from the Seminole tribe to lamenting how weakly Democrats handled the 2000 election recount.

The self-depicted savior of the Democratic Party somehow never mentions his dubious decision to make Florida's unsteady former gubernatorial nominee Bill McBride (his father-in-law's buddy) one of the DNC's top-priority candidates in 2002.

McAuliffe aims his harshest intraparty criticism at the John Kerry campaign team. "Political malpractice" is how he labels Kerry's gentle treatment of President Bush, and he is apoplectic that Kerry finished the campaign with $15-million unspent.

"You want to tell me that John Kerry would not have found the 59,000 votes he needed to carry Ohio if he had spent an additional $15-million running ads there the last month before the election? Of course he would have."

McAuliffe could have spared his readers pages of details about him and Bill Clinton palling around on the golf course, in the West Wing or at the Julio Iglesias manse. For all the time he spent with the Clintons, he doesn't shed much light on their relationship.

But love him or loathe him, McAuliffe is one of the most colorful and successful true believers in Democratic politics, and, as Bill Clinton can attest, he's a heck of a lot of fun.
Adam C. Smith can be reached at (727) 893-8241 or asmith@sptimes.com. return to top

What a Party! My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals

By Terry McAuliffe and Steve Kettman

Thomas Dunne Books, 416 pages, $24.95

On the Web: www.whataparty.us/

WHAT A PARTY!: My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators, and Other Wild Animals

By Terry McAuliffe, with Steve Kettmann
Thomas Dunne Books, 416 pp.

At the very least, there is one totally true statement in Terence R. McAuliffe's new memoir: "This is my book," he writes, "and obviously I've done my best to make myself look good."

As for the rest, even the author warns that he's an Irish storyteller given to blarney. But taken with that caveat, "What a Party!" is a rollicking ride through the world of celebrity, fundraising and politics that certainly entertains if not illuminates.

It's hard not to imagine downing beers in a bar as McAuliffe tells war stories about how a boy from Syracuse grew up to become President Bill Clinton's running buddy and the Democrats' most fabled fundraiser. To say he would do anything for a political donation would be putting it mildly. He once wrestled an alligator for a contribution and later belted out "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" from a casino stage for another.

By the time he found himself inside the Clinton orbit, he was traveling in rarefied circles -- and he makes sure to document them all. There's Terry lunching at the Palm with Jack Nicholson, vacationing with Oscar de la Renta and hunting with the king of Spain. There's Terry dining at the White House with Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren. There's Terry watching a movie with
the Clintons at Camp David while Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow make out on a couch.

Most of all, there's Terry bashing the Republicans over and over while saving the Democrats from certain ruin. This is, in the end, a partisan's book in a partisan age, perhaps explaining why it debuted at No. 1 on the Washington Post bestseller list. Those who think that Bill and Hillary Clinton walk on water and that President Bush and Vice President Cheney are
demon seed will find it heartening. Those seeking nuance should look elsewhere.

As Hillary Clinton launches her own campaign for the White House, McAuliffe offers little insight into the most fascinating and complex political family of a generation. He recounts in loving detail endless golf outings and all-night board and card games with Bill Clinton -- he spent so many late hours in the president's hotel suite during a trip to Seoul playing a form
of Scrabble that South Korean security agents suspected they were gay lovers.

But McAuliffe reveals nothing new about what makes either Clinton tick, nor does he explore any shades of gray in these Shakespearean political figures. Whitewater, the Lincoln Bedroom fundraising, the Monica Lewinsky saga, the last-minute pardons? Really all just Republican perfidy. The most inside moment he discloses is watching television with the Clintons as the first lady channel-surfs, unable to find a station not broadcasting something
about her husband's misdeeds, until she finally settles on ESPN.

If unflinchingly loyal to the Clintons, though, McAuliffe vents about other Democrats, particularly the party's last two presidential nominees. No doubt he is channeling the Clintons when he grouses about Al Gore sidelining Bill Clinton in 2000 and John F. Kerry not fighting back harder against Bush in 2004. As chairman of the Democratic National Committee, McAuliffe was never invited to a Kerry strategy session and discovered only afterward that the
campaign had not spent $15 million, a decision he called "gross incompetence."

He also dishes on Barbra Streisand, who once held a fundraiser for the Clinton library but hates dogs so much that she would not allow even the Secret Service bomb-sniffers onto her property.

"No dogs are coming on my property," she insisted."No dogs, no Bill Clinton," McAuliffe replied.

So she relented. And then screamed at him when she stepped in the inevitable byproduct.

An all-too-common experience in politics these days.Baker is a White House correspondent for The Washington Post and author of "The Breach: Inside the Impeachment and Trial of William Jefferson Clinton." return to top

For McAuliffe and Schumer, it's all about the money.
Two new books by prominent Democrats are a reminder that the would-be party
of the middle class runs on money from the rich.

Former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe is a brash and unabashed self-promoter, who has utilized those gifts to become the best fundraiser in the modern history of his party.

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer is an aggressive and unashamed publicity hound, who has utilized those qualities to become the most successful self-made politician in his home state and the architect of the Democrats' 2006 Senate takeover.

Given the similarities between a book tour and a political campaign, it is probably not surprising that both McAuliffe ("What a Party!") and Schumer ("Positively American") have just become published authors. Pity any self-effacing literary novelist who might have to compete with the salesmanship of McAuliffe or Schumer at a Barnes & Noble book signing. But the real irony of the publication of both of these books on the same day is that comparing one to the other points up an underlying, unresolved tension as the Democratic Party seeks, yet again, to define itself. The issue is money.

The exclamation mark in the title of McAuliffe's book is comically redundant, since everything the man does is broadcast at high decibels. This midlife political memoir has a rollicking style and captures McAuliffe's voice, and on the surface seems like nothing more than a diverting book to carry on a cross-country flight (preferably aboard Air Force One in a Democratic administration).

In "What a Party!" McAuliffe pitches himself as a Horatio Alger hero for the 21st century. hatever the obstacle, beginning with his teenage career paving driveways in his hometown of Syracuse, N.Y., McAuliffe triumphs through boldness and pluck. A typical sentence describes the reaction to a McAuliffe fundraising scheme for Bill Clinton's 1996 reelection campaign:
"Everyone in the Map Room meeting besides the President and the First Lady thought my plan was too aggressive." An emblematic moment in the book is McAuliffe sitting with Bill Clinton on the Truman Balcony of the White House as the president turns to him and says, "You know, Mac, we've done all right. Not bad for two kids from the sticks."

Schumer's "Positively American" also contains its share of well-told political narratives, particularly the backstage account of the author's 1998 upset Senate victory over Republican incumbent Al D'Amato, an old-fashioned patronage politician. Unlike the lighthearted McAuliffe,
however, Schumer also has a serious political agenda that extends far beyond short-term victory. Having nearly run the table in the 2006 elections, picking up six seats to give the Democrats a fragile one-vote margin in the Senate, Schumer now wants to create an enduring majority by establishing the Democrats as the party of the middle class, and "Positively American" is his manifesto.

Schumer's eureka moment came during the 1998 elections. Then an incumbent candidate for the U.S. House from Brooklyn, Schumer grappled to explain to his advisors what he meant by calling himself a "meat-and-potatoes Democrat." Finally, Schumer said in exasperation, "Look, there's a voter out there. He doesn't belong to the ACLU, he doesn't march for abortion rights,
he isn't a member of the Sierra Club, but he votes. He's got a mortgage and property taxes. His wife works, in part, because she wants to, but mostly because she has to."

Schumer devotes half his book to proposing a new Democratic policy agenda to appeal to the needs of what might be called the forgotten middle class -- families earning $50,000 to $75,000, who are neither poor nor economically comfortable. His boldest idea is to triple federal investment in education both to raise standards and -- more important politically -- to lift the
local property-tax burden on these middle-class voters. In Schumer's view, the property tax "hurts the middle class like nothing else does ... For a lot of families the day that their property tax bill is due is their defining interaction with the government each year."

And there is the irony in reading Schumer and McAuliffe's books back to back. For all the easy political rhetoric about "fighting for the middle class" and "the people vs. the powerful," the Democrats depend heavily on the financial support of the wealthy, from New York hedge-fund managers to Hollywood producers to tort-shopping trial lawyers. The quid pro quos may
not be nearly as naked as among the Republicans, but Bill Clinton did not fund two $100-million-plus campaigns (not to mention a presidential library) with bake sales and tip jars.

For readers interested in the nitty-gritty mechanics of asking the rich for money, Terry McAuliffe does not provide too many details. Instead of discussing technique, he drops names. When the Clintons in 1999 needed private money to pay for a turn-of-the-millennium party on the Mall in Washington, McAuliffe rushed to the rescue: "After four months of effort we
raised $17 million, helped by a $2 million gift from Vin Gupta, a man who was born on a dirt floor in India ... Danny Abraham, the founder of Slimfast, also gave us a million." From McAuliffe, we learn who gave the money, but rarely the whys.

Sometimes just the names of the givers arouse a certain degree of skepticism. Just two pages after McAuliffe accepts the challenge to raise $100-million-plus for the Clinton Library, there is the author amiably chatting with Prince Bandar, the legendary ambassador from Saudi Arabia,
about the inspiring career of Nelson Mandela. While Bandar is famous as a friend of presidents (elaborate conspiracy theories have been built around his relationship with the Bush family), there has been, prior to the McAuliffe book, scant evidence that the Saudi prince had been a passionate foe of apartheid.

The point is not to flog the naive notion that campaign funds from the wealthy are automatically tainted. But it is unrealistic to believe that all Democratic money arrives devoid of any implicit strings. In McAuliffe's world, Democrats never forget their roots: "Listen I don't know what it's
like for a rich kid in Kennebunkport but I grew up in a working class family." Schumer too stresses his average-American, Brooklyn upbringing: "My block, East Twenty-Seventh Street, was a mixture of firefighters and cops, salesmen and teachers, small businessmen and homemakers."

Someday, perhaps, mass-based Internet giving may change the class-based structure of political fundraising. But we still live in a world where a Terry McAuliffe (who will be heading up the Hillary Clinton financial juggernaut) has far more sway over Democratic politics than do ideologically committed $100 givers. And that is a major reason why too many politicians
(Democrats as well as Republicans) lose sight of the priorities of the middle-class voters Schumer wants to mobilize as a new governing majority. return to top

[Correction made: 2/13/07: "The Feb. 13 article: (above) "For McAuliffe and Schumer,
it's all about the Money" incorrectly said that Terry McAuliffe's book "What a Party!" contains a conversation between Terry McAuliffe and Prince Bandar bin Sultan in which they discussed Nelson Mandela. In fact, the conversation was between McAuliffe, his wife and Mandela at a party given by Bandar."]

If you're interested in the nitty-gritty of national politics, a book by Terry McAuliffe sounds like good news. After all, McAuliffe is a certified Friend of Bill and Hillary, a wildly successful fundraiser and the former chair of the Democratic National Committee. Here's someone who could really dish.

But McAuliffe's current job is chair of Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2008 juggernaut. Any impulse he might have had to tell all about the former First Couple has been rendered secondary to the effort to raise a reported $500 million war chest. If anything, "What a Party! My Life Among Democrats, Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals" is likely intended to support Hillary's efforts.

McAuliffe isn't deceptive about this - he says on the very first page that this book is partisan and self-promoting. "I am an Irish storyteller," he writes. "And we love blarney. This is my book and obviously I've done my best to make myself look good." True to his word, McAuliffe provides some biased history and some first class score-settling. Along the way, he offers provocative backstage glimpses of the world of national electoral politics.

"What a Party!" is at its most engaging - if not its most forthcoming - when Bill and Hillary are on stage. It's hard not to be interested in what it was like to hang out with the Clintons during the ups and downs of their 15 years in Washington. For example, McAuliffe spent a lot of time around a "dejected and angry" Bill Clinton in the weeks following the 1994 elections, when the Republicans retook Congress. McAuliffe tried to buck up the "hangdog" president by reminding him that the big Democratic donors still loved him, and that he needed to redouble his efforts to stay in touch with them.

McAuliffe's account of these days is a revealing portrait of the psychology and economics of the relationship between politicians and the members of their inner circles. At the commanding heights of government, the political is very personal; McAuliffe's allegiance to Bill Clinton is deeply felt and deeply advantageous - for both men. McAuliffe is effective at selling Clinton to rich donors because he genuinely likes and admires the man. But it also seems clear that he likes and admires the man so much because it was Clinton who put him on the national map. It's a rare treat to get a peek inside this sort of relationship, which repeats itself endlessly at all
levels of the political system.

Not surprisingly, McAuliffe's version of the Clinton saga is heavy on triumph in the face of adversity. The matter of Monica Lewinsky is treated gingerly and briefly, mostly in the form of a conversation with a contrite president on the golf course, one of the two men's favorite bonding sites. McAuliffe is clearly uncomfortable with the topic, and the whole matter of impeachment is dealt with so summarily as to be a gloss. Even if you agree that Kenneth Starr - portrayed here in the fitting, if by now overly familiar, role of Inspector Javert - went overboard, you can't help but notice that McAuliffe's "blarney" is suddenly in short supply.

Even so, the Clintons are consistently the most compelling characters in this play, and when they are off stage, interest falls off, despite the author-subject's nonstop energy. See Terry raise a pile of money for Democratic candidates! Marvel as he digs the party out of debt! Watch with amazement as he swoops in and averts disaster at the 2004 convention! Much of this will be interesting to political junkies, par-ti-cularly the appalling state in which McAuliffe found the party infrastructure when he became chair, and the efforts he made to rebuild. But it's inside baseball compared to traveling to Northern Ireland with the president in the wake of the Good Friday agreements or acting like a smart aleck before the grand jury investigating White House fundraising.

That combativeness - toward both his rivals inside the party and his Republican opponents - emerges frequently in "What a Party!". The book is barely under way when McAuliffe snidely complains about the "the geniuses around John (Kerry)" who wouldn't turn McAuliffe loose to criticize George W. Bush during the 2004 Republican national convention. He even uses an
obscenity when discussing the "gross incompetence" of the Kerry campaign's refusal to spend $15 million in available funds during the closing days of a very close campaign. Kerry's failures aren't exactly news at this point, but the timing of the book's publication sends a message about the tactics McAuliffe will advocate from his high perch in Hillary Clinton's campaign.

McAuliffe's disappointment at not being unleashed to chew on Bush is about more than just a disagreement over tactics; it's about pleasure denied. The man likes to take shots at Bush, and he doesn't care who knows it. Bush's premature victory speech on the USS Abraham Lincoln was "obscenely disrespectful to our troops"; Enron was "a textbook case of how Bush's embrace of cronyism at the White House could lead to huge problems for
ordinary Americans"; an unpleasant encounter between the two men leads McAuliffe to imagine that Bush "would probably be high-fiving with Rove and Cheney later about being such a petulant frat boy at heart that he had to needle me about the Republicans' success in scoring points against Democrats with big, fat, messy lies."

All roads lead back to slamming W. Even as he criticizes the Al Gore campaign's failure to fight hard in the 2000 post-election, the real thumping is meant for the current president. "Had we fought harder and smarter in Florida," he writes, "just think of all the atrocities and
travesties that America and the world would have been spared."

Surprisingly, the relentless attacks on Bush and the reflexive defense of the Clintons make "What a Party!" something of a useful historical artifact, after all. McAuliffe rose to prominence as national politics got nastier and more partisan, and this dyed-in-the-wool Democrat with a taste for the jugular understands that world as well as anyone. You may not believe everything he says about the Clintons, but he gets the bigger picture down in convincing, lurid detail. He knows how the game is played - and he clearly loves the game. return to top

February19, 2007 (American Library Association)
From Booklist, Review by Vanessa Bush

McAuliffe, who has been involved with Democratic campaigns for the past 25 years as fund-raiser, advisor, and chairman of the Democratic National Committee during President Bush's first term, offers an energetic, behind-the-scenes look at politics. He began his career as a fund-raiser with the Carter campaign in 1980 when he became famous for wrestling an alligator. McAuliffe has gone on to raise more than $1 billion for Democrats. As an entrepreneur and millionaire, McAuliffe might be assumed to have more in common with the Republicans. But he traces his bona fides back to his childhood and his family's long-standing interest in Democratic politics. Despite his love for Democrats, he lambastes his party for failing to fight harder when the 2000 presidential election popular vote--and arguably the electoral votes as well--favored Al Gore; the Kerry campaign's reluctance to challenge Bush's qualifications as commander in chief when he allegedly had not completed his National Guard duty obligations; and a host of other sins. McAuliffe's exuberance and insider status combine to make this a fascinating look at political campaigns.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved return to top

February 19, 2007
High Marks for Terry McAuliffe's New Book. Review by Martin Frost

As I said six months ago, I try not to read books by people who are still active in politics because they tend to be too self-serving. I much prefer to read memoirs by people who have completed their political careers and thus aren¹t running for anything else or looking for the next campaign to run.

The exception that proves the rule is the new book, ³What a Party,² by former Democratic National Committee Chair Terry McAuliffe. He clearly is not through with politics (Ambassador to the Court of St. James if Sen. Hillary Clinton is elected president?), but the book is worth reading anyway.

At various times during the past 27 years, McAuliffe has served as a key fundraiser for President Jimmy Carter, former House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt, President Bill Clinton and the national Democratic Party. He currently is beating the drums for Hillary in her 2008 presidential campaign.

I have known Terry throughout his career in politics and have liked him and respected his work ethic. We haven¹t always seen eye-to-eye on priorities but our differences have been relatively minor. His book is a delight.

What sets this book apart from many other political works is (1) it truly captures the personality of the author (politicians often try not to reveal their inner selves), (2) it is an accurate and unbiased (though often incomplete) view of some key times in recent Democratic Party history and (3) it told me things I didn¹t know about Terry¹s early history which actually explain a lot about why he is such a successful fundraiser.

In short, Terry has been a hustler (in the best sense of the word) since he was a kid growing up in Syracuse, N.Y. The tales of his early business ventures as a teen-ager explain quite a bit about why he has succeeded in political fundraising. Also, he is a soul mate of anyone who has ever succeeded in the rough and tumble world of raising money for candidates. People used to criticize me for being too much of a pest when soliciting campaign cash. I couldn¹t hold a candle to Terry in that regard.

I never would have had the nerve to agree to a three-minute wrestling match with an alligator to get a big check from a donor like Terry did.

Terry¹s visceral commitment to the Democratic Party (learned at the knee of his father, a local Democratic operative in New York state) and his loyalty to the people he worked for are traits not everyone in politics these days shares. Both of these aspects come shining through in the book.

No book is perfect and, as Terry readily admits, he worked to make himself look good. I¹m willing to forgive his sunny approach because the stories he tells are so entertaining. I went to a book party for Terry recently in Washington, D.C., and it is clear there are a lot of people in this town who feel the same way about him. The place was mobbed.

There were some exaggerations and omissions in the book which I will note in passing. First, Terry continues to state that, as DNC Chair, he committed $10 million to redistricting in 2001 and 2002. I headed the Congressional redistricting effort and we received about $3 million from the DNC. I don¹t know where the rest went but the $3 million we did get was considerably more
than any previous Democratic Party leader had ever invested in this subject.

Secondly, he is largely silent about the Monica Lewinsky affair. He did note the discord that it created in the Clintons¹ marriage but he didn¹t pass judgment or dwell on that sad chapter in Bill Clinton¹s presidency. In this regard, he remained loyal to both Clintons.

Third, it would have been interesting to read more about what went wrong with the John Kerry presidential campaign which occurred while he was DNC Chair. Terry made it clear he had real differences with the way the campaign was conducted but he left the reader wanting more details as he did on other occasions during the book.

Terry¹s greatest legacy is the work he undertook to bring the national Democratic Party into the 21st century. He raised the money necessary to rebuild and modernize the national party headquarters. He was particularly successful in making certain that the Democratic Party had the technology necessary to match the Republicans in grass roots organizing. If Terry
McAuliffe does nothing else in his political career, he should be remembered as the person who brought Democrats out of the dark ages.

The book that first interested me in politics was Theodore White¹s ³Making of the President 1960² about the successful presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy. Terry McAuliffe¹s new book, ³What a Party² is not in that league. It is, however, a fun read for anyone who wants to better understand American politics in the last part of the 20th century and who wants to be
entertained by an Irishman full of the blarney and rich political experience.

Martin Frost served in Congress from 1979 to 2005, representing a diverse district in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. He served two terms as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, the third-ranking leadership position for House Democrats, and two terms as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Frost serves as a regular contributor to FOX News Channel and is a partner at the law firm of Polsinelli, Shalton, Flanigan and Suelthaus. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a law degree from the Georgetown Law Center. return to top

There's one thing Democratic mega-fund-raiser Terry McAuliffe wants you to know: He's The Man. Not just any old extremely successful Washington operator. He's got the gumption, the go-get-'em, and Goshdarnit, people like him! Especially the once and future presidential couple Bill and Hillary Clinton.

That, at any rate, is the spirit of Mr. McAuliffe's new "What A Party!" (St. Martin's, 416 pages, $24.95), which is less an autobiography than a sales pitch for the author and for Mrs. Clinton's coming presidential campaign. Readers expecting an insider memoir in the tradition of Harry McPherson's epic "A Political Education" about the Johnson administration should put this co-authored (probably heavily co-authored) book back on the shelf.

The hyperactive Mr. McAuliffe will likely play a central role in Hillary's campaign, so it's little surprise that a book he authors would be something of a networking tool and a publicity vehicle. It took me 15 minutes to count the people Mr. McAuliffe thanks by name in the afterword. There are 603, which must be some kind of record in the annals of ingenious, shameless self-promotion, even for a famous busybody like Mr. McAuliffe.

"What a Party!" is mostly partisan red meat for the Democratic base whose message goes something like this: The Democratic Party is the party to trust with America's future; being in the White House is fun; the Republicans are mean, elitist, and tell a lot of lies; the author can tackle any job thrown his way and loves to work all night, or party all night, as equired; Mrs. Clinton would make a great president - did I mention that Mrs. Clinton would make a good president? - and so forth.

The single instance of non-Republican bashing has nothing to with Mr. or Mrs. Clinton - it's targeted at Sentator Kerry, over his campaign's inexpicable failure to spend down his last $15 million in campaign money in 2004. "Unf------ believeable!" Mr. McAuliffe writes. The Kerry people, of course, shut Mr. McAuliffe out of their plans that election season.

Otherwise, the book is a litter of celebrity names, late-night soirées, fund-raising gimmicks and a selection of White House anecdotes - only the favorable ones. At least Mr. McAuliffe is candid about the self-censorship: "This is my book and obviously I've done my best to make myself look good."

That's fair and to be expected in a political memoir, but at some point it's tedious, or worse. What's the point of reading a memoir if there's nothing new of interest? One can put up with 400 pages of preening and self-promotion if there's a reward at the end. "What a Party!" doesn't have it, at least not in the big picture. In the absence of anything new, one can
only tolerate so much "I love Hillary because of her toughness and her big heart, the qualities that would make her a great president," or, "I like to think of [Mr.] Clinton as the Babe Ruth of American Presidents: Not only one of the greatest ever, but also a man of remarkably diverse talents."

At least there's the entertainment value of a big politico's oblivion as to how others perceive him. This book repeatedly calls Republicans elitists. Then there are passages like this: "Among my more memorable trips were taking my son Jack wild boar hunting in Hungary with a group including Prince Andrew, and wild bird hunting with King Juan Carlos in Spain, who is a terrific guy."

There's Mr. McAuliffe recounting of his wife's trip home from the hospital following childbirth - it was interrupted by a fund-raising pitch to a big Democratic donor. Or the somewhat hilarious instance of give-me-this-office telegraphing which makes clear that Mr. McAuliffe is owed an ambassadorship to Great Britain. Bill had planned to appoint him near the end of his second term; Mr. McAuliffe recounts the episode with a level of detail only an aspiring political appointee could savor. But a faltering Democratic convention in Los Angeles which required his rescue efforts prevented him from getting the job.

A Washington memoir doesn't have to be a banal, overtly political act. At least when it is, there's some entertainment value to gawk at.

As for insights on Hillary's campaign or on Bill, this book proceeds as if to say: Tough! You're not getting a thing.

Mr. Conway is a writer at the Washington Times and a Phillips Foundation journalism fellow.
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