Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites: My Adventures in Cable News

Tucker Carlson, who co-hosts CNN's Crossfire has written an enlightening and amusing book on his three years at CNN. I have watched Crossfire only rarely, but I happened to hear Tucker speak about his experiences at a televised book conference in Miami, Florida not too long ago.He described, with dry wit and obvious fondness, the colorful characters he interviewed and worked with in the most powerful and weirdest medium there is. I was entranced by his insight and intelligence and immediately ordered his new book, Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites.This book was one of the most entertaining reads I have had in a long time. His intimate portraits of Al Sharpton, John McCain, James Carville, Ralph Nader, Jesse Jackson, and many others are not to be missed. Tucker has seen television from the inside and describes it without rancor and without pulling any punches. Both in his speech and in the book, he mentioned expecting to be fired at anytime because of his enthusiasm for airing his views. I hope it doesn't happen soon, because we need more TV personalities with his sense of humor. To get the flavor of Tucker's humor, see his interview by Kevin Holtsberry in August of this year.He has written a great book. Read it.

I had to read this book for my government class and I found it very enjoyable. I had watched Crossfire on CNN with Tucker before I read the book and always thought him to be an amusing guy. This book reads just like how he talks on the show, full of wit and bite. The stories he tells will make you laugh and his love for the game of politics is refreshing in a world of people who think politics is some sort of religion with no funny faults. I would recommend this book for any one looking for a short and funny read with a focus on the absurd of politics and media.PS: His section on the McCain 2000 presedential campaign is brillaint. So if you like McCain it is a must read.

My daughter and I can't wait to watch Crossfire. Tucker Carlson is our favorite. We love everything about him, his looks,his hair,and of course his cute bow tie. I always new Tucker was smart, now I also know what a good sense of humor he has. This is one of the funniest books I have ever read. If you would like a look at the lighter side of politics,I highly recommend this book.

If you want (a) a learned discussion of major national issues or (b) a grim anti-liberal tirade, this book is not the book for you. But if you want to spend an hour or two reading amusing stories about Carlson's fellow pundits (and the occasional politician), this book is perfect. It is a cute, fun piece of fluff - the modern equivalent of the Hollywood fan magazines of decades past (except of course about the press instead of about actors).

I was only passingly familiar with Tucker Carlson before cracking the binding of his book, POLITICIANS, PARTISANS, AND PARASITES. I vaguely recalled a few articles he had done for The Weekly Standard and The American Spectator, and I knew that he was on CNN's Crossfire. The problem is that at casa de Hartlaub we don't really tune in to CNN all that much, and as for Crossfire ... if I started watching James Carville with any regularity it would be the mark of a behavior deviation so devastating that my family would probably ship me off for that long promised 30-day psychological evaluation. While Crossfire appears to be on its last legs, Carlson's career trajectory is only beginning, if POLITICIANS, PARTISANS, AND PARASITES is any indication.For one thing, Carlson is really funny. His written delivery is very conversational. Reading POLITICIANS, PARTISANS, AND PARASITES is like having this hip, smart, observant guy over for dinner and being happy to let him monopolize the conversation for the entire evening. Carlson is right to center right politically, but he doesn't beat you over the head with it. He chooses his battles wisely and almost always wins them. But POLITICIANS, PARTISANS, AND PARASITES isn't a regurgitation of Carlson's views. It's a breezy, entertaining account of Carlson's experiences in television journalism and reporting.Carlson's accounts of his adventures in the trenches of television news journalism are not presented in an orderly fashion. It's not quite stream of consciousness but the link between one topic and another can be a bit tenuous. You're not really going to care, however. Carlson is so entertaining and funny that you'll be more than happy to sit back and let him drive at 100 words per minute while he maintains a nonstop monologue concerning what is flying by. His most entertaining accounts concern being on the campaign trail with John McCain, his trip to Vietnam (again, with John McCain), the crashing and burning of his first television program, The Spin Room, and his dead-on descriptions of Carville.But Carlson's literary audience will not be limited to conservatives. Liberals who have not lost their sense of humor will find plenty to enjoy in Carlson's accounts as well. Carlson pins Jerry Falwell and Larry Klayman to the wall with his laser-like scrutiny and does it so well that even if you like those gentlemen you won't mind. Well, you will, but you'll be too busy laughing to let it bother you for long.POLITICIANS, PARTISANS AND PARASITES is a series of dead-on critiques and observations of current events, television news, and the people and personalities behind both. Its substance more than makes up for what it lacks in organization. This is Carlson's first book, but it hopefully will not be his last. Highly recommended. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub