Supreme Courtship - Christopher Buckley
Supreme Courtship
Christopher Buckley
Twelve
Novel/Satire
Donald Vanderdamp is a President who only wants to sit for one term. His whole purpose in taking office is to change the way Washington does business, and he has made it his mission to veto every spending bill that crosses his desk. This has not made him any friends on Capitol Hill. In fact, it’s made him a lot of enemies. When a seat becomes available on the Supreme Court, Vanderdamp nominates two jurists of spotless reputation, only to see them trashed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In retaliation, he nominates Judge Pepper Cartwright. Pepper is a celebrity. She’s a TV judge with an overwhelming public backing. And suddenly, the committee finds itself in a real bind. Dexter Mitchell, Chairman of the committee, is particularly peeved, since he had hopes of filling the empty seat himself. His dreams also include residence in the White House; dreams that have been twice denied.
The ensuing story is something that could only come from Washington insider Christopher Buckley. His knowledge of the inner workings of power, and the people who wield that power, makes this satire seems wholly plausible. Even as events spiral out of control, it all makes a certain amount of sense. Never veering into the absurd, this is an all-too-possible story of what happens when personal ambition and personal entitlements override common sense.
Rating: 8 ½
September 2008
ISBN# 978-0-446-57982-7 (hardcover)
Christopher Buckley
Twelve
Novel/Satire
Donald Vanderdamp is a President who only wants to sit for one term. His whole purpose in taking office is to change the way Washington does business, and he has made it his mission to veto every spending bill that crosses his desk. This has not made him any friends on Capitol Hill. In fact, it’s made him a lot of enemies. When a seat becomes available on the Supreme Court, Vanderdamp nominates two jurists of spotless reputation, only to see them trashed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In retaliation, he nominates Judge Pepper Cartwright. Pepper is a celebrity. She’s a TV judge with an overwhelming public backing. And suddenly, the committee finds itself in a real bind. Dexter Mitchell, Chairman of the committee, is particularly peeved, since he had hopes of filling the empty seat himself. His dreams also include residence in the White House; dreams that have been twice denied.
The ensuing story is something that could only come from Washington insider Christopher Buckley. His knowledge of the inner workings of power, and the people who wield that power, makes this satire seems wholly plausible. Even as events spiral out of control, it all makes a certain amount of sense. Never veering into the absurd, this is an all-too-possible story of what happens when personal ambition and personal entitlements override common sense.
Rating: 8 ½
September 2008
ISBN# 978-0-446-57982-7 (hardcover)
posted by Deborah Hern @ 11:19 PM
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