Details From Jonathan Alter's Book, 'The Promise,' Leak: Obama On Teabaggers, Rahm's Fits, Summers vs. Orszag

As Democrats prepare to vote on the historic health-care legislation this weekend, a new look inside the White House is emerging from an upcoming book by Newsweek national-affairs columnist Jonathan Alter that's already being buzzed about in Washington political circles. The Promise, due out from Simon and Schuster in May, chronicles in a blow-by-blow narrative Obama's first turbulent year in office. According to an advance copy obtained by New York, Alter makes the case that early stumbles in vetting appointees and the polarized politics over the stimulus set a course for the rest of the year. While the book doesn't upend the existing narratives about any of the administration's major characters, it adds intimate, at times comic detail about many of them, starting with POTUS. In an interview with Alter on November 30, Obama offered that Republican opposition to the stimulus "helped create the tea-baggers and...

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Comments

[LynnW49]

06:26 PM on 05/01/2010

I'm looking forward to reading this. His book on FDR, "The Defining Moment" was good. Here's hoping that "The Promise" goes beyond the usual character-­driven narratives about our times and helps with the big picture of what has gone on during this interestin­g first year+.

[jerryatthebeach]

08:49 PM on 03/22/2010

Why do they keep mentioning Rahm's temper. How would they expect him to behave? Some of us have a short fuse,but, we forgive easily...

[Xenopus]

05:30 PM on 03/22/2010

My vote goes to Bo. Maybe he should be Obama's Social Secretary. He's cuter than Rahm and doesn't have a trashy mouth.

[GoDogGo]

03:15 PM on 03/22/2010

Dogs whose names rhyme with "No!" are never, ever good dogs.

I'm gonna have to side with Rahm on this one!

[CherokeeGirl]

02:52 PM on 03/22/2010

Jonathan Alter was one of the first shills for special interest that I spotted on the shows. He had a payoff for his work at killing the public option, I just know it. Anyone who buys this book buys his lies. SHILL!!!

[brt929]

05:08 PM on 03/22/2010

I think you have him confused with someone else.

He is also a cancer survivor, and one of the first writers to talk about the need for health care in this country. (That was long before Obama became a candidate.­)

The person that killed the public option was Obama. If he had wanted it, it would have been in the bill.

[jl4141]

01:43 PM on 03/22/2010

I couldn't care less if Rahm Emanuel doesn't like Bo. I once saw a picture of Donald Rumsfeld standing at his desk in the Pentagon with a cat walking by. So apparently Rumsfeld kept a kitty at the Pentagon. Now I love the little kitties -- got two of them at home (love dogs too -- I'm not one of those who prefers one over the other) -- but this picture did not make me like, respect, or agree with Rumsfeld one iota. So Rumsfeld likes his kitty and Rahm doesn't like Bo. WHO GIVES A RAT'S PATOOTIE?

[KnowzyRowzy]

12:28 PM on 03/22/2010

Shocking! NOT.

[2centsplain]

11:36 AM on 03/22/2010

No question that we get what we deserve, not that voting for McCain was a choice. Until we elect people of experience and with an understand of the gravity in the office, beginning in the congress, we should expect less than what we want. One needs to look at the election results this last weekend in France.

[Puller58]

10:48 AM on 03/22/2010

Royal Court intrigue. Yawn.

[themodernleader]

09:12 PM on 03/21/2010

A CEO's staff defines his administra­tion. Obama's policies, with few exceptions­, project favoritism towards specific groups and conflicted­, confused policies about other isssues and groups. The financial interests (and their depravity) are enhanced and protected. His policies toward health insurance have confused and confounded friend and foe alike, while his despicable subordinat­es have carved out secretive deals with the insurance companies that are now apparently being enacted into law. After a year of the nation's attention, we may be adopting a national health bill that only brilliant civil servants can manage.
His subordinat­es shield Obama from other than Bush-era dynastic-d­octrine-an­d national- stagnation and decline. There is NOT one creative policy proposal that has emanated from his administra­tion for a National Agenda. The only agenda that he has succeeded is the agenda of concentrat­ed wealth and economic destlructi­on and bankruptcy­. His financial team are traitors for placing the interests of their friends and associates above the national interests. What a way to make a living.
President Obama is an enigma to me. What and who is a leader who consistent­ly talks one vision of national hope while selling off America to the highest bidders among financial and foreign powers?
Yesterday, I went to an auction and the participan­ts were concerned and hopeless about America's future prospect. Many argued that we were already in a depression­, which I have argued for over a year.

[Puller58]

10:47 AM on 03/22/2010

He's not that hard to figure out. He's a Chicago politician with all the greed and corruption that entails. (Kinda hard to decide if that is any different than the other politician­s from other places, though.) Rod Blago is simply more open about his corruption­.

[themodernleader]

06:52 PM on 03/22/2010

Demigoguer­y has gradually repaced democratic government since 1980. Obama is simply a consummate representa­tive of our emerging oligarchy.

[DocSyracuse]

01:19 PM on 03/21/2010

Wow. Just when I thought I couldn't dislike Rahm any more.

[messy]

04:40 PM on 03/21/2010

Good for Rahm! I'm not to thrilled with dogs either.

[DocSyracuse]

09:13 PM on 03/21/2010

You're in the minority in this country, then. Sorry you're not a fan of man's best friend.

[Progressneeded]

12:27 PM on 03/22/2010

Seriously! I wish people would know the difference between to and too! I am not too thrilled with the fact that you are a blogger either!

[greejambri]

10:41 AM on 03/21/2010

As a life-long dog-owner and advocate for man's (and woman's) best friends, I've always said that anyone who doesn't like dogs is seriously defective, and is missing the basic empathy gene. With this new informatio­n about RE, my assertion is finally confirmed.

[booboopickle]

08:46 AM on 03/21/2010

Keep Bo and get rid of Rahm

[nurseattorney]

11:20 PM on 03/21/2010

I guess Bo must have expressed some anti-DLC "progressi­ve" bias. Rahm probably thinks Bo is "retarded.­"

[Wendy Johnson]

08:25 AM on 03/21/2010

Just what we need, more gossip and trivia :P

[Ifticar2]

03:34 AM on 03/21/2010

We do not need stories from insiders to know that Obama and his staff are inexperien­ced and amateurish­. The external evidence such as giving the British PM a gift of DVDs that will not play on British DVD players and giving the Queen and Ipod are ample proofs.

[Pupadup4oBama]

05:39 AM on 03/21/2010

Wow still using talking points from the stone age.

[CUL8R]

05:38 PM on 03/21/2010

Those "amateurs" are about to pass the most sweeping healthcare reform legislatio­n in 3 generation­s. Stick that in your Ipod and play it.