Buck up, Suck up...and Come Back When You Foul up: 12 Winning Secrets from the War Room (Hardcover)

The two Democratic strategists combine to describe the key elements of how they feel that political candidates (whether Democrats or Republicans, conservatives or liberals) can win elections, and successfully pursue their agendas in office.

The general advice is to take the offense, and stay on it, even when on defense.

Let me paraphrase the key points into a shorter list to make the concepts more understandable:

1. If you keep trying your hardest to get elected, someday you will succeed. Abraham Lincoln is the prime example.

2. Honestly seek out allies when you need them to get elected. John F. Kennedy taking on Lyndon Johnson as his vice presidential candidate is the main example.

3. Attack your strongest candidate in the general election constantly above the belt. Attack first, attack hardest, and counter-attack first. The first Clinton presidential campaign is the main example.

4. Pick the issue where the strongest general election opponent is most vulnerable, and don't let go! "It's the economy, stupid!"

5. Tell your story unceasingly in a brief, emotional, unique, and relevant way. "Are you better off than you were four years ago?"

6. Be quick to lead with your mistakes, weaknesses, and flaws by realizing that people want to hear it from you first. They will find out anyway, and you can gain credibility and trust this way.

7. Once you are in office, use your political capital wisely where it will make a difference. Build on success!

I suspect that most of these points are not new to you. Why read the book, then? Actually, it's main appeal is in the self-deprecating humor the authors use in describing how determined people on both side of the political spectrum verbally wrestle for power. If you are a Republican or a conservative, you probably won't enjoy the book because there's lots of positive things said about the Democratic candidates the authors have assisted. The book also refers to Republicans, especially President Reagan, but much less intensively.

As examples of the humor, Mr. Carville tells how his mother used to sell encyclopedias to help support the family by looking for men with lots of kids and a bass boat, the book has chicken salad and French toast recipes, and the authors tell about their own personal awkward moments in campaigns.

Will you read about the political issues surrounding the most famous White House intern? Oh, yes. Perhaps more than you want to.

Why should you want to be in office? I suggest that you have a pretty good reason . . . or you won't want to live like this.

The authors leave it up to you as to whether the book applies to other fields. The section on Rule 7: Know How to Communicate was the only section that I thought provided any insights that you might not know already. But that section is quite well done, with vivid examples.

If you are like me, your biggest take-away from this book is how effective open, self-deprecating humor is.

Help others in all the ways you can!