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Too Close to Call: The Thirty-Six-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election [Hardcover]

Jeffrey Toobin
3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Oct 2 2001
From the best-selling author of A Vast Conspiracy and The Run of His Life comes Too Close to Call--the definitive story of the Bush-Gore presidential recount. A political and legal analyst of unparalleled journalistic skill, Jeffrey Toobin is the ideal writer to distill the events of the thirty-six anxiety-filled days that culminated in one of the most stunning Supreme Court decisions in history.

Packed with news-making disclosures and written with the drive of a legal thriller, Too Close to Call takes us inside James Baker's private jet, through the locked gates to Al Gore's mansion, behind the covered-up windows of Katherine Harris's office, and even into the secret conference room of the United States Supreme Court. As the scene shifts from Washington to Austin and into the remote corners of the enduringly strange Sunshine State, Toobin's book will transform what you thought you knew about the most extraordinary political drama in American history.

The Florida recount unfolded in a kaleidoscopic maze of bizarre concepts (chads, pregnant and otherwise), unfamiliar people in critically important positions (the Florida Supreme Court), and familiar people in surprising new places (the Miami relatives of Elián González, in a previously undisclosed role in this melodrama). With the rich characterization that is his trademark, Toobin portrays the prominent strategists who masterminded the campaigns--the Daleys and the Roves--and also the lesser-known but influential players who pulled the strings, as well as the judges and justices whose decisions determined the final outcome. Toobin gives both camps a treatment they have not yet received--remarkably evenhanded, nonpartisan, and entirely new.

The post-election period posed a challenge to even the most zealous news junkie: how to keep up with what was happening and sort out the important from the trivial. Jeffrey Toobin has now done this--and then some. With clarity, insight, humor, and a deep understanding of the law, he deconstructs the events, the players, and the often Byzantine intricacies of our judicial system. A remarkable account of one of the most significant periods in our country's history, Too Close to Call is endlessly surprising, frequently poignant, and wholly addictive.


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Review

Praise for Jeffrey Toobin’s national bestseller
A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President



"An admirably clear, vigorously written, plain-spoken and common-sensical book."
--The New York Times Book Review

"A superb work of factual and legal analysis. . . . Few novels are as gripping."
--The New York Review of Books

"A story as taut and surprising as any thriller. . . . Unimpeachable page-turner."
--People

"A superlatively researched and written book."
--The New York Observer

"An irresistibly readable new overview of the whole ugly case."
--The Boston Globe

"A good read . . . a brave book."
--The Economist

"A rich and readable reprise . . . by the New Yorker writer who shows brilliantly how the American legal system spun out of control."
--Chicago Sun-Times

"Compulsively readable. . . . A Vast Conspiracy delivers new information, provides arresting perspective and is a helluva read for all that."
--New York Daily News

From the Back Cover

Praise for Jeffrey Toobin’s national bestseller
A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President



"An admirably clear, vigorously written, plain-spoken and common-sensical book."
--The New York Times Book Review

"A superb work of factual and legal analysis. . . . Few novels are as gripping."
--The New York Review of Books

"A story as taut and surprising as any thriller. . . . Unimpeachable page-turner."
--People

"A superlatively researched and written book."
--The New York Observer

"An irresistibly readable new overview of the whole ugly case."
--The Boston Globe

"A good read . . . a brave book."
--The Economist

"A rich and readable reprise . . . by the New Yorker writer who shows brilliantly how the American legal system spun out of control."
--Chicago Sun-Times

"Compulsively readable. . . . A Vast Conspiracy delivers new information, provides arresting perspective and is a helluva read for all that."
--New York Daily News

Inside This Book (Learn More)
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First Sentence
"I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN DO," RON KLAIN TOLD LESTER HYMAN. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
Format:Paperback
Written by probably America's most well-known media legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin takes on the Floridian debacle of 2000 in his short book "Too Close to Call."

What it lacks in legal heft it makes up with journalistic breeze, with Toobin writing in the same lucid tone that he takes in the New Yorker, describing set pieces between Bush and Gore staffers not quite equally, but close enough. Perhaps Toobin is biased in his conclusions that Gore was jobbed, and this is where he may have wanted to shed some light on his own political views, ahem -- Democrat -- and this would clearly have strengthened his case. But after all is said and done, the guy lays enough foundation to support his theory that the Republicans were too ruthless and Al Gore was too spineless.

"Too Close to Call" never describes evidence of out-and-out fraud, but presents the conclusion that it sure would have been nice if the great State of Florida would have taken the time and just truly recounted all the votes, and points out matter-of-factly that in this scenario, Gore most likely would have won. Whether or not you're a Democrat or Republican, the idea that democracy itself was circumvented in this case is extremely troubling, and that's the pitch-perfect note Toobin leaves the reader with.

Surpisingly from a "legal" analyst, this book lacks strong legal analysis, or any legal background at all. There's hardly any references to appropriate statutes, case background, etc., that would really be advantageous for the discerning academic reader who wants to read something more substantive than an overgrown New Yorker article.

But as a huge fan of the New Yorker, such an article draws no real complaints here.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!!!!! Mar 4 2004
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
The best account of how Bush declared himself the prsident!
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Format:Paperback
A quick scan through the reviews of this book claim that Toobin "bellows" about racism (he actually spent two paragraphs on the issue, and acknowledges that it was not NEARLY as significant as many Gore supporters would claim), unfairly bashes Katherine Harris (even Fox News portrayed her as a dolt, so Toobin is not alone here), and that he generalizes about those involved (he actually details personalities of several individuals of both sides, and his generalizations are limited to his descriptions of groups of hundreds - ie "the Gore campaign).

That said, this is not an unbiased book. Toobin unquestionably sympathizes with the Gore campaign, and seems to almost root for them. This does not, however, alter his in-depth and accurate reporting of the basic facts of the case, which are laid out clearly and simply, providing a very easy and fun read. He does tend to editorialize, and doubtlessly, the charges against the Bush campaign (that their hypocrites, amorale, and underhanded) are serious compared to those he levels against the Gore campaign (too compromised by their sense of fair play and their desire for positive media attention). However, this does tend to come across as a kind of admiration for the complete devotion of the Bush soldiers, the intelligence of James Baker, and the tenacity of their lawyers.

Overall, this should not be construed as a strictly journalistic work (though it does serve as a good vehicle for learning the facts of the case), but as an entertaining and though-provoking fact-based editorial.

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Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Bush lovers have no use for truth.
This book exposes a number of myths created by the right wing hate machine regarding the Florida election. Read more
Published on Nov 3 2003 by Daniel Torluemke
3.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected
Unlike, apparently, most of the reviewers here, I knew very little about Jeffrey Toobin before I picked up this book. Read more
Published on Jun 18 2003 by the skeptic
3.0 out of 5 stars Good story but a bitter liberal author
This book is a quick read full of interesting details. You just have to tolerate the author's obvious dismay that Gore lost the election. Read more
Published on Jan 11 2003 by Everett Burns
5.0 out of 5 stars A liberal author rips into Al Gore
Toobin is famous for his pro-Democratic sympathies, but what makes this book tolerable to conservatives (like me) is his unrelenting loathing of Gore as spineless and milquetoast,... Read more
Published on Jan 4 2003 by saskatoonguy
5.0 out of 5 stars A page turner
Jeffrey Toobin is an exceptionally skilled writer and a potent storyteller. His account of the 2000 presidential election controversy is as exciting and absorbing as any fictional... Read more
Published on Oct 10 2002 by GF Hernandez
3.0 out of 5 stars doc in Louisiana
Not exactly that well researched. It's interesting that I've read four books on this subject and all tend to rely on the same references and interpret it according to their own... Read more
Published on Sep 16 2002 by "docmsh"
5.0 out of 5 stars Too Close to Call
While the roller-coaster days of November 2000 are now over, the sound bites will reverberate for a long time to come. Read more
Published on Sep 3 2002
5.0 out of 5 stars POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENTS TEXTBOOK
This depressing book documents how and why the sacred concept of every vote counting only has the validity of the childhood belief in Santa Claus. Read more
Published on Jun 26 2002 by P. A. Lavins
5.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opener
Before I proceed with my review of this book, I will acknowledge that I am a liberal democrat and, as such, I support the concepts of justness and integrity exemplified by Al Gore... Read more
Published on Jun 19 2002
3.0 out of 5 stars Why doesn't [other stores] have this book?
I just about had a heart attack when I heard that the machine recount had never been completed in Florida. Holt cow!, I thought, there's the smoking gun! Read more
Published on Jun 16 2002 by Leo Valentine
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