Very Strange Bedfellows: The Short and Unhappy Marriage of Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew - Softcover

Witcover, Jules

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1586485717 ISBN 13: 9781586485719

Publisher: PublicAffairs, 2008

Synopsis

Nixon and Agnew were an odd couple whose political love affair disintegrated over five years into a calamitous denouement. Agnew's divisive rhetoric skyrocketed his popularity, but he grew weary of exclusion from the Nixon inner circle. Nixon, concluding that Agnew was not the man to succeed him, conspired to dump him in 1972 and later to remove him from the line of presidential succession. But before Nixon's presidency collapsed in Watergate, a tawdry scandal of payoffs to Agnew in the White House accomplished the job.

Jules Witcover, a leading political reporter of that period, wrote political biographies of both men and coauthored the acclaimed account of the Agnew resignation, A Heartbeat Away. Now, with three decades of perspective, a trove of new material including Nixon's White House tapes and interviews with close Nixon-Agnew associates, Witcover has written a captivating narrative that reveals how the foibles, pettiness and weaknesses of each man destroyed that marriage, and ultimately their careers. Very Strange Bedfellows' revealing look into the flawed and fascinating Nixon presidency will be catnip to anyone interested in American politics and American history.

About this title

About the Author

Jules Witcover is the author of many books, including The Year the Dream Died: Revisiting 1968 in America and The Resurrection of Richard Nixon. A longtime political reporter and syndicated columnist, formerly based at the Baltimore Sun, he lives in Washington, D.C.

Review

"I loved this wonderful book which is lucid, intimate real history. Sensational in every way" -- Bob Woodward

"Marvelous ...it might be his most insightful in his treatment of the White House inner circle. His everyday newspaper style makes easy reading." -- Buffalo News, March 25, 2007

"This book successfully portrays the complicated and dysfunctional relationship of these two men." -- The Oklahoman, May 6, 2007

"Witcover does an admirable job of briskly pacing the narrative. [It's] a period piece of the politics of the past." -- San Francisco Chronicle, May 30, 2007

"Witcover has done it again ...absolutely riveting reading... It's a terrific book... [Witcover] is still at the top of his game." -- The Hill, April 26, 2007

"Witcover is an old pro and his crisp, clear writing style keeps things moving... [It's] fast-paced, organized...[and] funny stuff indeed." -- Washington Times, June 3, 2007

"Witcover is at his best when he relates the unraveling of the Nixon presidency..." -- Library Journal, April 15, 2007

"fascinating...a riveting examination of a rarely visited side of the Nixon Presidency." -- American Heritage, May 16, 2007

"highly readable... The tale remains engrossing to this day." -- Bloomberg News, May 25, 2007

"wrapped up neatly in page after page--pettiness...and uncontained ambition of two men we will never see the like of again." -- USNews.com, May 3, 2007

About this edition

• Publisher: PublicAffairs
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1586485717
• ISBN 13: 9781586485719
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432