Kings of the Hill

Want to know where the real seat of control lies in the US government? Then this book about some of the most powerful men in the history of the House of Representatives is an excellent (although short) resource. I now have a much better appreciation of the need to ensure control of that body is in the hands of truthful, focused and principled people. The book needs a re-write, though. It stops (was published) before the full impact of Newt Gingrich's term could be evaluated. Read this book and you'll have a new respect for the workings of the House of Representatives and, by extension, the federal government - something like controlling chaos!

I thouroughly enjoyed this book. It covered each topic just enough with a good balance of political, social, and personal aspects and how the three inter-related and affected the subjects. For someone just beginning to understand the history of the House, it is a great book to read.

Ever wonder how 435 egomaniacs get even a few bills done inCongress?The Cheneys supply the answer in this book of excellentvignettes on several masters of the US House of Representatives. MeetClay, Polk, Stevens, Blaine, Reed, Cannon, Longworth, Rayburn andGingrich as they work their will on their members to controll thelegislative process.By examining the role of congressionalleadership through history and historic personalities, this book bothillustrates how the House has changed and how the nature of powerhasn't. These men relied on personal relationships, codes of honorthat won respect and a willingness to exercise power (ie, risk toughbattles, reward friends and punish enemies) to run the House.Boththe history buff and those interested in leadership studies will findthis book interesting. Though well written, the book is short. Ithink that it could have delved into more detail of some of thepolitical battles these men faced and still been fascinating. MaybeDick Cheney will have the time to expand upon this theme as VicePresident -- there is a lot of opportunity for writing while jettingto and from foreign funerals (as John Nance Garner -- FDR's 1st VP --said "the job's not worth a bucket of warm spit!).

Wow! A fascinating and exhaustively sourced read about prominent Speakers of the House. Made me want to know more about the office in general. Especially interesting, but far too infrequent, were the snippets of dialog from various house sessions -- the exchanges between the members showed that maybe our 1992-2000 congress *hasn't* been the most divided! I'll look forward to the "Cheney Memoirs" after he serves 8 years as VP and then moves on to the presidency.