Product Description

From a top speechwriter to President George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld, this may be the most deliciously candid memoir ever written about official Washington—a laugh-out-loud cri de coeur that shows what can happen to idealism in a town driven by self-interest. 
 
Despite being raised by reliably liberal parents, Matt Latimer is, from an early age, lured by the upbeat themes of the Reagan Revolution and, in the tradition of Mary Tyler Moore, sets off from the Midwest for the big city, determined to "make it after all."  In Matt's glory-filled daydreams, he will champion smaller government and greater self-sufficiency, lower taxes and stronger defense—and, by the force of his youthful passion, eradicate do-nothing boondoggleism and lead America to new heights of greatness.

But first he has to find a job.

 Like an inside-the-Beltway Dante, Matt chronicles his descent into Washington, D.C., hell, as he snares a series of increasingly lofty—but unsatisfying—jobs with powerful figures on Capitol Hill. One boss can't remember basic facts. Another appears to hide from his own staff, barricading himself in his office. When Fate offers Matt a job as chief speechwriter for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Matt finds he actually admires the man (causing his liberal friends to shake their heads in dismay), his youthful passion is renewed. But Rummy soon becomes a piñata for the press, and the Department of Defense is revealed as alarmingly dysfunctional.

 Eventually, Matt lands at the White House, his heart aflutter with the hope that, here at last, he can fulfill his dream of penning words that will become part of history—and maybe pick up some cool souvenirs. But reality intrudes once again. More like The Office than The West Wing, the nation's most storied office building is a place where the staffers who run the country are in way over their heads, and almost everything the public has been told about the major players—Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Rove—is wrong.

 Both a rare behind-the-scenes account that boldly names the fools and scoundrels, and a poignant lament for the principled conservatism that disappeared during the Bush presidency, Speech-less will forever change the public's view of our nation's capital and the people who joust daily for its power. 

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15344 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-22
• Released on: 2009-09-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780307463722
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
LEADING CONSERVATIVES PRAISE LATIMER'S
SPEECH-LESS
New Book by Former Bush Administration Writer Hailed by Right
 
 
"Probably the most important political book of the year… [Matt is] one heck of a great conservative.  It seems to me [it is] getting a very good reaction from conservatives around the country… The last time I read a book that was this funny was Christopher Buckley's White House Mess."
Jed Babbin, Editor, Human Events
 
"Latimer comes across as honest...He's a deft writer, and has a good eye and a nice turn of phrase.  You may find yourself surprised by what he has to report.  I was. ... Let me simply admit that I was darned entertained by Speech-less...Latimer's contribution to the [White House memoir] shelf is welcome and worthy."
--Christopher Buckley, bestselling writer and commentator

"It's a good read… quite frankly, the stories are funny!"
Pat Buchanan, MSNBC news analyst and contributor
 
"Lots of people write accounts of their time at the White House. Virtually no one has done it as well... This book is excellent:  funny, sensible, informative, interesting as hell, and beautifully written. If only there had been more Matt Latimers in the Bush administration."
Tucker Carlson, Fox News analyst, former co-host of CNN's "Crossfire"
 
 "Matt Latimer's hilarious account reads like political satire, except it's all true…Latimer's description of government bureaucracy should be framed and placed in every government office… completely accurate and completely hilarious."
Ann Coulter, Best-selling Author and Fox News analyst
 
 "It's fair to say that President Bush left office having disappointed many conservatives, despite ...

Review
LEADING CONSERVATIVES PRAISE LATIMER'S
SPEECH-LESS
New Book by Former Bush Administration Writer Hailed by Right
 
 
"Probably the most important political book of the year… [Matt is] one heck of a great conservative.  It seems to me [it is] getting a very good reaction from conservatives around the country… The last time I read a book that was this funny was Christopher Buckley's White House Mess."
Jed Babbin, Editor, Human Events
 
"Latimer comes across as honest...He's a deft writer, and has a good eye and a nice turn of phrase.  You may find yourself surprised by what he has to report.  I was. ... Let me simply admit that I was darned entertained by Speech-less...Latimer's contribution to the [White House memoir] shelf is welcome and worthy."
--Christopher Buckley, bestselling writer and commentator

"It's a good read… quite frankly, the stories are funny!"
Pat Buchanan, MSNBC news analyst and contributor
 
"Lots of people write accounts of their time at the White House. Virtually no one has done it as well... This book is excellent:  funny, sensible, informative, interesting as hell, and beautifully written. If only there had been more Matt Latimers in the Bush administration."
Tucker Carlson, Fox News analyst, former co-host of CNN's "Crossfire"
 
 "Matt Latimer's hilarious account reads like political satire, except it's all true…Latimer's description of government bureaucracy should be framed and placed in every government office… completely accurate and completely hilarious."
Ann Coulter, Best-selling Author and Fox News analyst
 
 "It's fair to say that President Bush left office having disappointed many conservatives, despite his success at keeping the American homeland free from terrorist attack for seven years after 9/11… Mr. Bush said, 'but I redefined the Republican Party.'  That may have been true, but how well did that work out for the Republican Party?"
John Fund, Editorial Page, The Wall Street Journal
 
 "[G]ives Republicans in particular a lot to think about if they ever hope to reclaim power…Even more than the messages this book conveys, at its heart this is a compelling story about idols who sometimes disappoint you..."
Stephen F. Hayes, Senior Writer Weekly Standard, Fox News contributor
 
 "A lot of really positive things about President Bush in this book…  I like knowing more about what's happening in these halls of power. And as a conservative,… I'm fascinated by this because this can't happen again to the Republican Party.  This party can't go down this road of big spending... That's not conservatism.  Matt Latimer, Speech-less... Be your own judge. Pick it up and check it out and don't believe everything necessarily that you're hearing."
Laura Ingraham, Host, The Laura Ingraham Show
 
"A lot of conservatives that have read [Matt's] book have called me up and just said, 'Ok, so this was the problem with [Bush] all along.'"
Joe Scarborough, Host, MSNBC's Morning Joe

About the Author
MATT LATIMER was one of President Bush's top speechwriters from March 2007 to October 2008. He was also chief speechwriter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld for three years.

Customer Reviews

What working in Washington is REALLY like
I'd heard about this book through friends of mine and something that leaked about it in the Washington Post this summer, and we couldn't WAIT for it to come out. So many of us come to Washington to "change the world" and so many of continue to plug away at just that, every day. What I wish more of us would do is write about what working in this town is really like. It's funny, it's scary, it's sad, it's quirky, it's frustrating, and it's awe-inspiring... all at the same time. As someone who's lived and worked in DC for the past 20 years (cripes, am I that old?), it's refreshing to read memoirs that take risks and share stories that aren't always the most flattering -- whether it's about a certain subject or the author him/herself. When I read Matt's book, I cringed at some of the things he admitted to saying, doing, and thinking, and other times, I wanted to cheer him on. I found it interesting that he didn't try to shove down our throat his own opinion about how things should work, or how he would've done things differently. Those kinds of books make me nuts. Instead, I felt like I was reading some real reporting about what his life was like -- good and bad -- in working on the Hill and in the White House. The Pentagon chapter was good, too. His writing is strong, and he really has a confident voice in his storytelling. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who wants a good, funny book, and who wants to learn what the day-to-day life is like in Washington.

Funny, Insightful Read from a DC Insider
Matt Latimer's memoir is a humorous and candid take on life in Washington D.C. and the leaders we send there. His book exposes the other side of the people who we only see during their campaigns when they are nicely scripted and polished, promising the moon when they know they can't deliver it.

The author puts a human face on the distant government monolith and he says a lot of things that many people across the country are thinking but that they have had no one to voice. I really appreciated his openness and honesty.

Frankly it is heartening to know that there are people in Washington who really do care about principles and are not merely seeking power and prestige.

Fun Reading For Everyone
Even though I don't read a lot of books about politics, I enjoyed every page of this book. First of all, it's extremely funny. Second, it's a great window into "how the sausages are made" -- how Washington really works (or doesn't work). Third, it's a book that people can enjoy whether they are Republicans or Democrats, because Latimer doesn't take sides. He just describes what he saw -- the good, the bad, and the ugly.