By Dan Calabrese ——Bio and Archives--June 10, 2014
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But to go point-by-point through the prose would be to miss the book's true purpose. Like Victorian children who were supposed to be seen but not heard, this is a book that is supposed to be bought but not read, discussed but not examined, excerpted but not critiqued. In fact, it's not really a book at all. It is an artifact containing printed words, an event conveying political seriousness. Perhaps it could have been written at half its length (635 pages) with twice the interest. But that would have made it easier to read from start to finish, defeating its own purpose of being big and therefore, presumably, weighty. Ceci n'est pas une pipe, wrote (or painted) René Magritte. Just so with "Hard Choices": Ceci n'est pas un livre.John Dickerson of Slate:
This is not a book from someone who has nothing to lose. When former Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote his recent book, Duty, it was full of tough assessments and candor. Clinton's book has no gossip, which is no surprise, but it also only hints at the inside feel of the way national security policy is made. Gates' book had lots of #, which is always part of even a well-functioning foreign policy team. Clinton's account is the low-salt, low-fat, low-calorie offering with vanilla pudding as the dessert. She goes on at great length, but not great depth.Mike Allen of the worst web site on Earth:
" . . . written so carefully not to offend that it will fuel the notion that politics infuses every part of her life."And finally this classic from Cathleen Decker at the Los Angeles Times:
Even before the official publication of Hillary Rodham Clinton's newest book, one thing was clear: It would take a herculean blast of luck to pry anything unintended out of the former secretary of State, now hawking the book in myriad TV interviews with a smile on her face, uttering the title “Hard Choices” as much as possible but saying little of consequence. Soul searching or cone-of-silence breaking is not the Hillary way. Unlike her husband, Bill, whose worst moments have come when discipline waned, the past and potentially future presidential candidate appears almost always to be in control. That can make her, at times, seem more than a little inauthentic.At times? You mean, like, 12:00, 12:01, 12:02, 12:03 . . . those times? I think Decker may be on to something here. The real question is not why someone would decline to read this book, but why the major media would treat an effort by such an inconsequential person as worthy of such attention. They're the ones telling us the book contains no news, no insight, no noteworthy ideas and no thought-provoking content of any kind. They're the ones telling us the book is written in exactly the same way Hillary's entire public life has been approached - which is to position her for the presidency while avoiding ever attempting anything of substance as that would present risks to her presidential ambitions, which are, above all, of primary importance. Why would anyone want to read 635 pages of Hillary Clinton being exactly what she is - a self-serving fraud demanding your backing without giving you any reason whatsoever to believe she is worthy of it? Now, if you really want to read truth about Hillary, you don't need to leave this site. Here, you can find out:
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Dan Calabrese’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain
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