The Power Game How Washington Works Author:Hedrick Smith Power is the name of the game. But until now, no one outside "the beltway" knew just who was wielding how much--and for what ends. Pulitzer Prize-winning, ex-Washington bureau chief of THE NEW YORK TIMES, Hedrick Smith, tells the whole story. From PACs to influence-peddling from the Pentagon to the WASHINGTON POST, THE POWER GAME revea... more »ls Congressional staffers more powerful than their bosses, media advisors more powerful than the media, and money that not only talks but threatens. It's all there, and it's all in here.
The Presidency and the power afloat : our rotating prime ministers --
The power earthquake of 1974 : the impact of reform, money, and television --
The soft sides of power : visibility, credibility, and power surfing --
Porcupine power : the politics of being prickly --
The power loop : narrow access vs. widening the circle --
Life inside the beltway : the folkways of Washington --
Congress and the constant campaign : survival politics and the New Breed --
Pentagon games : the politics of pork and turf --
The new lobbying game : grass roots pressure and PAC money --
Shadow government : the power of staff --
The agenda game : speed, focus, and damage control --
The image game : scripting the video presidency --
The coalition game : the heart of governing --
The opposition game : fighting swapping, and remodeling --
The foreign policy game : bureaucratic tribal warfare --
The other foreign policy game : end runs and back channels --
Divided government : gridlock and the blame game --
Where's the majority party? : No longer the Democrats, not yet the Republicans --
Our political disconnect : campaigning vs. governing --