Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told By One Who Knows The Game

Praise for Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told By One Who Knows The Game

"A thoroughly entertaining book about modern-day American politics and how it's played. . . . Hardball is a must-read textbook that should be read with a marker."
— The Wall Street Journal

"Every so often a writer reads a book so incisive and so good that when he finally puts it down he says, 'Damn, I wish I had written this.' I just finished Christopher Matthews' Hardball. And damn, I wish I had written this."
— Stephen Stark

"Matthews is half Huck Finn and half Machiavelli in this exuberant guide to the great game of politics."
— George F. Will

"Savvy and amusing. . . . Fresh and original."
— Christopher Lehmann-Haupt

"Christopher Matthews writes about politics with relish—the way sports writers cover boxing."
— Ben Bradlee

"People will be quoting Hardball as long as the game of politics is played."
— Hendrik Hertzberg

"The best in the business!"
— Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr.

"Brilliant! God may take care of fools, drunks and the United States, but Chris Matthews has the goods on how Washington politicians take care of the rest of us."
— Sam Donaldson

"Chris Matthews hits a political homer with Hardball. For political sagacity and humor, this ranks with the work of George Washington Plunkitt."
— William Safire

"In Washington, everyone says they 'practice' politics, and 'develop' policy. But to succeed they know they must 'play hardball.' This book smartly captures that central truth!"
— Tim Russert