Case Against Hillary Clinton

Should this First Lady, who was raised in Illinois and learned politics in Arkansas and Washington, become the next Senator from new York? Bestselling author and Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan offers a hard look at Hillary's ambitions—and asks, What next?

No Presidency since Richard Nixon's has been more deeply mired in scandal than that of Bill Clinton...and no First Lady has been as intimately involved with the running of a White House than his wife, Hillary. From Whitewater to health care to the Filegate and Travelgate affairs, Ms. Clinton has been at the heart of nearly every major embarrassment the Clinton White House has suffered in these seven years.

Now, even before her husband's term is over, Hillary Clinton has launched her own campaign, to become a U.S. Senator from New York. If she wins, she will be a Senator who has never held political office—for a state where she has never even lived. And if she wins, the question is obvious: Where will her ambition lead her next?

Peggy Noonan, a former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan and one of our most astute political observers, argues in this concise and compelling book that everyone in America—not just New Yorkers—must look closely at Hillary Clinton and the implications of her Senate bid. What is her record? Which Americans does she truly represent? What are her motives? And, most important, what does Hillary's Election 2000 campaign mean for the rest of American in 2004?

One of the great polarizing figures of our time, Hillary Clinton will continue to fascinate Americans long after her husband leaves the public stage. The Case Against Hillary Clinton takes the measure of the woman, the candidate, the striving politician—and suggests that her calculated bid for power might be the first truly important election of the new millenium.

Peggy Noonan is the best-selling author of seven books on American politics, history, and culture. Her essays have appeared in Time, Newsweek, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and other publications. She lives in New York City.