ABSTRACT

As the United States marks its first presidential election of a new century, Witcover shows us how professional mercenaries -- with little party loyalty and diminished political principles, driven by an insatiable need for money -- are poisoning public life. At the same time, politicians themselves have condoned and even encouraged these developments, responding to the demands of a media-driven age in which the press corps pursues its own quest for celebrity and financial reward.

Sharp, revealing, and rich with anecdotes, No Way to Pick a President offers a wealth of presidential history, from the role of the vice president's office to campaign funds, television and the electoral college.

chapter |9 pages

Introduction

Then and Now

chapter 1|10 pages

Me for President

chapter 2|13 pages

The Era of the Hired Gun

chapter 3|13 pages

Television Raises the Stakes

chapter 4|15 pages

Main Street to Madison Avenue

chapter 5|21 pages

Sour Mother's Milk

chapter 6|15 pages

Anything Goes

chapter 7|21 pages

The 800-Pound Gorilla

chapter 8|32 pages

Watchdogs and Lapdogs

chapter 9|18 pages

A Process Gone Berserk

chapter 10|14 pages

Coronations, not Conventions

chapter 11|26 pages

Rolling the Dice

chapter 12|11 pages

The Grand Facade

chapter 13|17 pages

Moments of Truth

chapter 14|17 pages

An Accident waiting to Happen

chapter 15|14 pages

Whither the Parties?

chapter 16|11 pages

Time for an Overhaul