Jim Lehrer - Tension City (Presidential Debates) [96]

Jim Lehrer - Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates

96 kbps, Unabridged, Read by the Author


http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tension-city-jim-lehrer/1100247343?ean=9780812981438

Overview
With an update by the author for the 2012 election

A veteran newsman who has presided over eleven presidential and vice-presidential debates, Jim Lehrer gives readers a ringside seat for some of the epic political battles of our time, shedding light on all of the critical turning points and rhetorical faux pas that helped determine the outcome of AmericaΓÇÖs presidential elections. Drawing on his own experiences as ΓÇ£the man in the middle seat,ΓÇ¥ in-depth interviews with the candidates and his fellow moderators, and transcripts of key exchanges, Lehrer illuminates what he calls the ΓÇ£Major MomentsΓÇ¥ and ΓÇ£killer questionsΓÇ¥ that defined the debates, from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain. In this paperback edition, he also offers his expert analysis of the 2012 Republican primary debates.

Asked to sum up his experience as a participant in high-level televised debates, President George H. W. Bush memorably likened them to an evening in ΓÇ£tension city.ΓÇ¥ In Jim LehrerΓÇÖs absorbing account, we find out that truer words were never spoken.

ΓÇ£A brisk and engaging memoir.ΓÇ¥ΓÇöThe Washington Post

ΓÇ£Enthralling . . . remarkable . . . a wonderful political memoir.ΓÇ¥ΓÇöBookreporter

ΓÇ£A really good read . . . [There is] no debating quality of Jim LehrerΓÇÖs book.ΓÇ¥ΓÇöAssociated Press

ΓÇ£Jim Lehrer is a national monument, and this riveting book shows how he became AmericaΓÇÖs moderator.ΓÇ¥ΓÇöMichael Beschloss, author of Presidential Courage

ΓÇ£A political junkieΓÇÖs backstage pass.ΓÇ¥ΓÇöThe Capital Times

From the Publisher
Advance praise for Tension City

ΓÇ£Unique and compelling . . . Jim Lehrer at once enlightens and entertains, deepening our understanding of the modern presidency while telling a splendid story. Tension City is engaging history from a fair-minded and insightful author who has himself become part of the nationΓÇÖs fabric.ΓÇ¥ΓÇöJon Meacham, Pulitzer PrizeΓÇôwinning author of American Lion

ΓÇ£Recreated with a wit and perspective that only a natural born storyteller can summon . . . Some of the most interesting presidential debates take place off-camera, around the reporters asking the questions . . . remember Bernie ShawΓÇÖs jaw-dropping inquiry directed to Michael Dukakis about the hypothetical rape and murder of the candidateΓÇÖs wife? ThatΓÇÖs just one of the revelations that makes this the ultimate insiderΓÇÖs account of what George H. W. Bush dubbed ΓÇÿtension city.ΓÇÖ ItΓÇÖs all hereΓÇöGerald FordΓÇÖs premature liberation of Poland; Ronald ReaganΓÇÖs way with one-liners; the well-honed empathy of Bill Clinton; and the multiple personalities of Al Gore.ΓÇ¥ΓÇöRichard Norton Smith, author of The Colonel