Excellent,somewhat impressionistic reporting on the 1988 Presidential primaries. Focusing on Dukakis, Biden, Hart and Gephardt on the Democratic side, and Bush and Dole on the Republican side, this book gives a real feel for what the primary competition was like for these candidates.

Although over 1000 pages, it reads fast. Cramer goes back and forth between candidates and ranges back and forth over time, painting portraits of each person's personality,background and political history. Somewhat like Tom Wolfe's journalism, Cramer finds one or two identifiable "tags" for each of the candidates, like the sound Dole makes when he speaks, etc.

Warning: The book is really about the candidates' experience, not about the strategy. If you are looking to learn about the politics of Presidential elections, this book will shed relatively little light on the subject. However, it does give a real feel for the personal experience, and should be required reading for anyone thinking about running for President or thinking about having a high level involvement in a Presidential campaign.