Rating: 
Summary: Morris takes swipe at evildoers, domestic and foreign
Review: As a former presidential advisor (to Bill Clinton in the first administration) and now as a well-respected political analyst, Dick Morris has much in the way of experience and credibility when it comes to Beltway politics, and the business that accompanies it. With his recent book, "Off With Their Heads: Traitors, Crooks & Obstuctionists in American Politics and Business," Morris bears his soul...but in a surprisingly evenhanded, fair way. The book is split into two parts, the first dealing with the tragedy of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent war on terror begun by the Bush administration; the second deals with what Morris defines as "domestic terror," specifically nursing-home mismanagement and capitalist crooks. Dick Morris, who since his having to leave Bill Clinton's White House due to his own sex scandal has had much time to reflect and enjoy new job opportunities, does a great job explaining how Clinton dropped the ball on national security. To those of us on the right, this is nothing new. What is surprising is that Morris had conversations with the president about the need to combat the threat of al Qaeda, but apparently the president showed an unwillingness to deal with bin Laden & Company...until it was too late. But Morris' intent is not to do a hatchet job on his former boss; in fact, Morris applauds Clinton's domestic agenda and gives full credit for certain achievements. But his profile on what drove Clinton (or what made him err) will be most inciteful. Morris also attacks the "New York Times" as well, and in particular its late editor, Howell Raines. Morris explains how the "Times" gained a reputation through many decades of its hard-hitting but non-partisan reporting, to the point where the paper was ahead of the class. Since the Raines era, however, the reporting has become increasingly biased in favor of left-leaning causes; Morris shows how by discussing how the "Times" uses "weighted polls" to further an outcome that rates well with the paper's leftist followers. Don't be fooled: Morris is certainly no right-wing ideologue; he just recognizes slanted reporting when he sees it. He would call out any right-wing paper that did the same with its polls (if a major right-wing paper actually existed!). The pages on Hollywood left-wing activism and the failure of the French to support the U.S. on the war with Iraq are just O.K. Better, and longer, summations are to be found in other recent books. Suffice to say, Morris hits the mark again without some of the hyperbole used by certain right-wing authors. In part two, Morris tears into the efforts of incumbent congressmen and senators to keep their seats ad infinitum throught the evil of redistricting. This chapter was the most insightful, and makes the cost of the book justified by its insertion alone. Many will be angered by the revelations here.
One quibble: Morris makes the mistake many continue to make by referring to the U.S. as a democracy, when in the fact, it is a constitutional republic. He even misquotes Benjamin Franklin in the process; Morris asserts that when asked by anxious onlookers in July of 1776 what type of government the Founding Fathers had decided on, Franklin had told them it was a democracy, "if you can keep it." Morris took out the word "democracy" in his attribution via the quote, but still made it seem that Franklin said it; Franklin actually said, "A republic...if you can keep it." The rest of the book discusses how large and small corporations have done us numerous disservices as well. Morris cuts through all the political infighting and finger-pointing by noting that both Democrats and Republicans can take equal share in the big corporate scandals, such as Enron and Global Crossing. The national disgrace that is our nursing-home industry is also placed in Morris' crosshairs, not to mention his continuing axe-grinding when it comes to Big Tobacco. Dick Morris, for all his faults, is a great political analyst, perhaps the best in the business. His insights are marginally flawed only occasionally, but mostly he hits the target with amazing accuracy. When Dick Morris talks, I always sit and listen intently. There aren't many other analysts who have the ability to get to the heart of the matter, and do it in a fair, reasonable manner. For this reason, this book is worth the time to read, and I look forward to Mr. Morris' future efforts.
Rating:
Summary: An honest man...is always hated...by his corrupted cronies!
Review: Look, one of the below reviewers with the low rating and PEDA like attack upon anything conservatvie is actually evaluating the wrong book here. But it proves something. Hard core neo-liberal democrats hate any book that turns the light of truth upon their great hypocricies, intolerances, prejudices and hate speak in our society. And hard core conservatives will not even read left wing propaganda. What Dick Morris clearly exposes in this book is that whether Democrats are in power or out of power...all they crave is "more power!" Power over our lives, our freedoms, our religious expressions, our constitutional rights, our thoughts, words and deeds. And they want power over our children, our educational insitutions, our courts, our voting abilities and our homes and families. It seems quite obvious, with the utter hypocricy of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democrats like Charles Schumer, Ted Kennedy, Dianne Feistein and others (and the great hypocrisy of Hillary Clinton), like the National Organization of Women and the Jesse Jacksonites (which includes the Sharptons and such) of the world; that individual liberty, differences of opinion and ones right to believe and follow his or her own conscience as the founders intended, is an anathema to Democrats and liberals who want to despotically control every aspect of our lives. Even down to how we teacher our children and what we feel inside. Democrats were humilitated because the last president they revered proved to be in fact a pretty good example of their core, deviance, tyrannical, abusive, hedonistic and barbaric ideologies. This is how most of them conducted themselves like this in secret behind the facade of actually caring for us little people. The hypocrisy is clear every day and almost every time they speak anymore and is exposed and self-evident to the true core citizenry of this country and those grass roots American people our there watching. The last decade has expose them for what they really are, chaotic hypocrites. Al Franken's book title would be better applied to liberals than conservatives. Yet as much as they reined in their own disgust with Clinton, when they were defending him, and put aside (those who have any integrity left) their true dismay at him. They now find it useful to ignore the truth...and attack a Conservative set of targets with the very thing they were defending in Bill. It is amazing that democrats can make a huge blunder, and defend it, then when they find something remotely simliar in their opponents they say exactly what they should have said of their own...but did not. This is so they do not have to live with the truth of their utter failure to built a rational, ethical, moral, effective model for America and the world. They have redirected their disgust with Bill and their own failures into a hatred of anything conservative. Now they get to vent all that that frustration, rage, humiliation and anger out freely by misdirecting it, with their media buddies towards Bush, those with faith, Patriots, Rush Limbaugh, Arnold and freedom of religion itself in America. Hense you now see a call for an independent council, over a journalist criminal act of releasing a name, which they hated and hideoulsy attacked without merit before when Ken Starr was appointed. Now they are appaulded at Arnold's possible indescretions but for Clinton they gave a pass to an adulterer, serial molester and an alleged rappist. They cannot imagine Arnold as a young man chasing women, even though their liberal and devaint society loves the playboy mansion, "girls gone wild," racist rappers and men who want sex with boys (that is unless your a priest); but when Ted Kennedy killed a young women...they looked the other way and kept him in office. They hated Trent Lott for misspeaking at a birthday party but defended every hate speaking democrat on capital hill and still herald a Klu-Klux-Klan high priest in the Senate. They want Maria Schriver to condemn her husband but want Hillary Clinton who wouln't do so...to become president for heavens sake. They say the word God is OK for public use, but rejoice as the religious oath is secretly stripped from the courtroom oath and the ten commandments, created by God, are rolled out of public view. They hate the death penalty but sentence millions of innocent babies to just that fate without flinching and sometimes even protect mothers who abort their babies out of the womb who are 3, 4, 5 and seven years old. Just murderous and hideiously barbaric. Dick Morris, just like Anne Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, Laura Ingram, Bernard Goldberg, Rush Linbaugh, Dennis Miller and so many others merely point this great hypocrisy out. And for that they become targets of hate, revenge, falsefied accusations and become the liberal establisments public enemies...number one. And oh yes, the recipients of these rediculous left wing book reviewers who probably never even read the book. Which in and of itself is just another great hypocricy. They have yet to remove the plank from their own eyes...before they try to remove the splinter from the conservatives. A good book based upon first hand knowledge and true information as only an insider can relate. It will naturally be dismissed by those who have been molded to lie, manipulate, misdirect and obfuscate all their lives. Good job Dick.
Rating: 
Summary: Score One for Americans who care
Review: Morris is dead on the money with this one. I highlighted so many lines 3 pens went dry. Morris is a true benefit to the Right and tells many of his secrets about Clinton and Left that he learned during his time on the campaign trail. Get this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Shut up,and.. just SHUT UP!
Review: I'm tired of blond Conservative C-words telling me how Anti-American I, and my family are (a lot of whom have distinguished military backgrounds in WW II, Korea & Viet Nam... my Uncle died in the Invasion of Normandy), simply because we are Democrats, and/ or LIBERALS. Where do you get off telling me I don't love my Country, or the brave men in my family who fought to save not just my, but your lame butts?! As usual Ingraham bases her "findings" on sweeping generalizations not grounded in fact. By the way, if you're so down on Liberals - examine the expensive clothes you wear... Liberal or Conservative designers? How about the cutesy - tootsie new haircut which renders your image a bit more "Hip" (Hip - or LIBERAL?). Why the need to appear stylish? Style and image acceptance seem to stem from that hideous Liberal Hollywood or (SHUDDER!) NEW YORK! A good Conservative wouldn't care how she looks. (Or was it just that you looked too much like Ann Coulter, and your Publicist suggested you change your hairstyle?) Practice what you preach (or screech...) - wear conservative! Go with Lands End & L.L. Bean... anything else makes you look like you're trying too hard. You're all merely flagrant opportunists cashing in on a trend. (Clinton bashing will always be profitable, if beside many a point) How about working towards partisan compromise? Neither side will have the exclusive way anyways. What part of "Compassionate Conservative" has been missed on you? Yeah... that's what I thought it was - just another empty idea aimed at getting more votes.
Rating: 
Summary: not insightful
Review: Morris's book is weak on facts and weak on shrillness, and not ideologically based, basically its a big wandering tale of nothigness, railing against people that he is of the mark to rail against. He takes on the media when he should be taking on Hollywood and Chomsky. He takes on all manner of people while not focusing on the true hypcrisy in the leftist love of the hate for america found in Islam. Morris wrote this to capitalize on the sudden resurgence in conservative poplar literature and to capitalize on the money he could make by saying we should "off the heads" of the traitors. Coulters "Treason" is superior and so is "In the path of god" Islam and political power. This book is not helpful. But it is on the mark probably, since some of these liberals are traitors and should be sent to france.
Rating:
Summary: Useful and Occasionally Eye-Opening
Review: For those who make an effort to keep abreast of the current domestic and foreign political scene, there is really not much in here that you don't already know. Nevertheless, in that it is well-documented and written by a Clinton insider, it is a very useful resource to have around in order to continue to combat the never ending onslaught of left-wing mendacity. The book is not really vitriolic as the title would seem to indicate, and as screaming leftist editorials will tell you that it is. There is a little anger here and there but it is mostly written in a pretty even-handed way and is often humorous. It touches on many subjects: left-wing bias in the press especially in the New York Times; the failure of the media to accurately report the Iraq conflict; the paralyzation of the Clinton administration in the face of the burgeoning terrorist threat; the loony left in Hollywood; French perfidy; and various other political issues large and small in contemporary America. The left will also mewlingly accuse the author of sloppy research but there is no way they can refute his extremely detailed study. The New York Times chapter, for example, is primarily based on a day-to-day study of the front pages of this formerly respectable paper for an entire year or so following 9-11. Clearly, on this evidence alone, there can be no denying that the New York Times, under the leadership of editor Howell Raines, attempted to shape public opinion through the use of fraudulently weighted polling, slanted reporting, and the failure to report news unfavorable to their own political position. It is depressingly familiar. Other chapters are as well-researched, and again, based on not much more than a careful reading of the news available to each and every one of us on a daily basis. You may disagree with the author's conclusions, but you cannot disagree with the facts on which he bases them. The best bits of the book, though, are the author's personal recollections of his days as an advisor to President Clinton in the mid-nineties. Some of this is nothing less than astonishing. For example, Clinton, politically fearful and terrified of leaks, instructed the author to bring up foreign-policy issues with him only when they were alone. "When Sandy Berger, wise to my habits, sought to stay longer to keep me away from Clinton, the president instructed me to pretend to leave the building, then wait downstairs for his all-clear signal so that we could begin our foreign-policy conversation." Read the above quote again. Think about it. President Clinton, the leader of the free world, felt compelled to play little hide-and-seek games with his advisors rather than simply tell them to get out of the room. Remarkable, and sadly, entirely believable.
Rating:
Summary: Not about ideology, everything about politics.
Review: I find this book very fascinating and factually-backed in many respects. Whether you agree with his analysis and conclusion(s) or not, the facts are there, and we (the reading) will draw our own conclusions. One can elude or ignore the facts of events, but that would be a disservice to oneself and is intellectually disingenuous. Again, anyone can question his motives to right such a book, but thats not issues, the facts are there and they a backed-up. Considering Dick Morris's past experiences (good and bad), this book is hardly ideologically driven of the usually liberal or conservative bashing, especially from someone who has worked for both Democratics and Republicans. Whether you like Dick Morris or not, any and every clear-thinking person(s) should applaud for exposing the "political skeletons" that our elected leaders have been hiding from the public, and in many cases, backstabbing the very people who voted for them. I applaud Dick Morris not only for exposing a lot of truths behind people of power, but also doing so without being vicious or ad homen about it.
Rating:
Summary: An honest and well thought out piece
Review: The author is an excellent writer who backs his assertions with facts extolled with an entertaining, intelligent brand of stiletto-like humour not to mention his own brand of original thinking. Unlike so many of the talking heads who seem to be reading from the same script of talking points faxed to them by the DNC or its equivalent, Morris draws his own conclusions, propounding them with clarity and depth. He begins by citing that 9/11 was a demarkation point for America, as in "that's when things got serious". He leads off with his first of nine chapters by leaning heavily on the perfidy of the NY Times. He takes us from the rise of the Times, a 150 year old publication and one of the leading newspapers in the world, all the way to the depths to which it has sunk today. He lays the blame on the grandson Sulzberger, an extended-adolescent owner who has managed to sully the reputation of a grand institution, one started, built and maintained by his forebearers, in what seems to be the wink-of-an-eye. From "all the news that's fit to print" to printing "only the news that fits" their socialist policy agenda, Morris gives us his take. He isn't kind. Next, he elucidates on the media credibility gap of the network's, one that has widened from mere everyday political bias into a yawning crevice of hypocrisy and deceit. Next on the block is Bill Clinton and his sophmoric administration, one whose utopian quests for immediate solutions to foreign policy decisions have left America in the lurch with regard to worldwide terrorism. Anyone familiar with the writings of Bill Gertz, reporter for the Washington Times, will recognize the stories. Morris feels that Clinton ignored foreign policy in any meaningful sense and as such left it up to the adult presidency that succeeded his to clean up the mess. The chapter is appropriately titled "Apres moi, le deluge" after the comments attributed to Louis the XV of France which translate into "after me the flood", or the disastor. He then lights into the "Hollywood apologists", those he describes as human parrots who read what others have written for them to say. He asks the logical question, "who cares what Sheryl Crow thinks about foreign policy?" He points out the foolish mouthings of those such as Barbra Streisand, Martin Sheehan, George Clooney and Sean Penn, people who've failed to learn their limitations. It's a joy to read. Following this is a wonderfully informed chapter on France, our sometime ally whose political leadership has taken a wrong fork in the road. This and the chapter on Clinton are to my mind the best in the book. Well written and easily understood, they quickly acquaint the reader with sufficient knowledge to grasp a fundamental understanding of the entire picture. He finishes up with short chapters on, one, how gerrymandering of voting districts is robbing us of our power to choose our representatives; two, how the crusade against tobacco has gone astray; and three, how the nursing home situation is a scandel of major propoertions. But, if you don't have time to read it all, focus on France and the story of Clinton's betrayal of the public trust in the war on terrorism. Always interesting when I've watched him carry out his duties as an analyst on the Fox network, Morris was the same when I met him in person at the national press club on Author's night last November. This book will not disapoint the curious reader.
Rating: 
Summary: Give 'em enough rope....
Review: Is it my imagination or do all of todays so-called Conservative authors ( and far-right radio talk show hosts ), i.e. Ann Coulter, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity and even Mona Charen seem perennially constipated? They always seem to have their knickers in a twist over something it seems. I mean with a Republican President... and a Congress that is ruled by the GOP you would think they would be in a constant state of political euphoria but alas those fun-loving far-right loonies ceaselessly drone on about Liberals, the Clintons, the mainstream media and of course those Hollywood celebrities i.e. Barbra Sreisand and Sean Penn. I mean whats a God-fearing Conservative to do? Well, joining their ranks is, I predict, a new star on the far-right horizon. ( Make way Mr. Limbaugh! ) And one who brings his own unique brand of ' Conservative crazy ' to the table. Dick Morris ( yes the very same Mr. Morris who was once not only a top Clinton advisor but alas the very same who fell from grace in a rather, shall we say, graceless manner ) has seen the light and now has not only become a regular on the fair-minded Fox Network News ( official motto: "We slander, you decide " ) but is also a top Conservative beacon. His latest release " Off With Their Heads " ( no pun necessary, is there Mr. Morris? ) rewards the far-right reader with more vitrolic and hate-filled spew concerning the Conservatives 'usual suspects.' Such as the very ones mentioned above. Now granted Dick may not have anything new to add to the truck load of Conservative rubbish that has been fobbed off as serious, analytical thinking by other right-wing intellects but fellow Conservative reader please do not despair. For Mr. Morris does enlighten his reader with some true gems, i.e. placing this countries current problems with terrorists and 9/11 squarelly on the shoulders of his former employer Pres. Clinton ( he states that " Clinton just didn't get " the terrorist problem ). Mr. Morris has especially unkind things to say about France ( apparently convienently forgetting who helped forge this land into a nation ) and of course the old stand by Hollywood elitists. Apparently our author never owned a Barbra Streisand cd or watched a movie with Susan Sarandon. I suspect it must be the patriot in him. Yes, Mr. Morrs grants his readers ( in his own ham-fisted fashion ) his very own, though not very unique, perspective on these extremely tired cliches that has become the very embodiment of the Consevative mantra. Overall, I was somewhat disappointed by " Off With Their Heads " In the pantheon of Conservative books ( and God knows we've had a glut of them recently ) I'm afraid Mr. Morris' offering adds little to the contemptuous feelings that Conservatives have for all Americans who veer from their rather narrow point of view. Although for many of those of the 'right-wing persuasion' it will keep stoked the "we hate all Liberals " fires ablazing until the imminent arrival of the next Conservative, partisan release. It seems as though those on the fringes on the far-right are happiest when their books deal only in innuendo, condescending finger-pointing and wildly escalating talk of how unpatriotic those darned Liberals/Democrats are. It does force one to wonder " What are Conservatives so afraid of? "
Rating:
Summary: Off With Their Heads - Traitors, Crooks & Obstructionists
Review: The title almost turned me off. I believe the title sells the book short. That is the only criticism I have. Because I have little regard for former President Clinton, and knowing that the author was his close advisor, I almost didn't read it. However, the author appears to treat everyone fairly and criticizes politicians on both sides of the isle. His review of a multitude of topics sheds light on issues that need more oversight by all of us. It was most enlightening and easy to read. It also reinforced my low regard for Clinton.
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