The Politician by Andrew Young (2010, CD, and similar items

Marlene Homer 5.0 out of 5 stars THE POLITICIAN Reviewed in the United States ?? on May 9, 2011 Verified Purchase If you are a political junkie, you must read this book! During the 1960 presidential campaign of JFK, I was a "Kennedy Girl." Pretty heady stuff! I worked in both Wisconsin and California. I almost flunked out of college because I didn't have time for anything else. I was on television three times and considered myself important, of course. Andrew Young's details of campaign life ring true. I especially enjoyed his telling of the visit of John and Teresa Heinz Kerry to John and Elizabeth Edwards's home during the 2004 campaign. Baby birds were exterminated from the fire place chimney. A drunken chef is ousted from the kitchen. And in the end, John and Teresa absolutely refuse to stay at the home of their hosts. If you are concerned about America's helath care system, and who is not, you must read this book! Cheri Young, Andrew's wife, is a registered nurse. Thier one-month old baby daughter, Gracie, almost died at the hands of professionals! It is a story you will not soon forget. If you want to watch John Edwards busy being John edwards, you must read this book. Here is the neophyte senator in action: "He got behind the wheel and backed my (Yount's) new suburban into a parked car. He got out, looked around to see if anyone had seen him and drove away quickly. The right rear bumper on my brand new car suffered a dent the size of a dinner plate. The senator never said a word to me about it. I couldn't bring myself to confront him about the damage and ask him to pay for a repair . . . The dent remained and every time we (the Youngs) went out to the drive way we got a reminder of Edwards's sense of entitlement." If you want to know almost too much about the "other woman" and John Edwards, read this book. Witness an early-in-the-affair cozy domestic scene 'sans' Elizabeth who is on a book tour: "That evening, we ate take out ribs from a place called Nantuckett Grill and sat on the senator's back porch . . . me, the nanny, Heather, her husband, Jed, the senator, his kids and Rielle who talked excitedly about everything from national politics to astrology. She said she had been a spiritual teacher and she believed the future was foretold by the stars. Rielle took great pleasure in noting that John Edwards's future was limitless, and every once in a while she punctuated her observations about him with a laugh and the line 'It's good to be King.' As the wine flowed and Heather put the kids to bed, the senator and Rielle became more comfortable, touching each other and dropped the pretense that they weren't involved. At one point they started musing about how the house seemed like a happy place with Elizabeth and her negative energy removed. Rielle talked about living in the mansion once Mrs. Edwards was out of the way. A new family would be formed, the senator said, after he and Rielle married on some roof top in Manhattan with a celebration that would include music from Dave Matthews. As Realle listened to the senator spin this fantasy, she smiled like a little kid who had gotten her way." During John F. Kennedy's campaign I took the following call, as near as I can remember: Caller: "I am a believer in the science of the stars. When is the senator's birthday?" Me: "May 29, M'am." Caller: "Well, in that case he shall not receive my vote. All Gemini men are two-faced." She hung up. I told no one, for fear of being sent home for good. John Edward loves the movies. After seeing THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT, he decided to enter politics. As you might know, the movie is a love story, a romantic comedy about a lobbyist and a president who is a widower. Love blooms among the two representatives of hope and high-mindedness. To Andrew Young, John Edwards personified these qualities. After listening to this book, I believe I'll watch two movies: THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT and MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON. Thank you, Kevin Foley for an excellent reading and a perfect Edwards' accent. Thank you, Andrew and Cheri Young. One tiny comment more: Young assumes that people who read PEOPLE do not watch MEET THE PRESS. He's wrong! 6 people found this helpful