Deadlock: The Inside Story of America's Closest Election

This is a clear and factual account of what happened in Florida. Though the final chapters of that episode are still being written as we discover more about what the ballots were really like, this is about as balanced an account as one can get this soon after the events. Some will (one reader obviously already does) find the facts inconvenient, but this is a necessary first step in building the historical record under which both Mr. Gore and Mr. Bush will be judged.

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Good comprehensive play by play of the post election fiasco.PW Vienna VA

Two things struck me while reading this book, the first is that I doubt there is a book out there that is truly balanced and not somewhat biased. The second thing was that Gore really got the shaft, not so much by the recount wars, but by the election official that came up with the Butterfly Ballot. In the history of the USA this decision ranks up there with new Coke and the XFL, what a mistake. As far as the reporting in the book it was not bad for a review of all the articles they had in the paper, but it did not really dig into the particular issues very deeply. I wanted more detail and behind the scenes with both the candidates. I also wanted more details on the court cases; I felt like the sky-high overview of the issues of the cases did not do such an important issue justice.In reading the book I think a little bit of a democratic bias comes out, just a little, but enough to notice. I also thought it interesting that they had far more details of the Gore group then the Bush camp, it follows the perception that the Post is somewhat liberal in its views. The book is an overview that came out almost 10 minutes after Gore hung up the phone on the second concession call so there are a few more details out now that they did not get in the book. Overall it is a good effort and a readable book, but not the end all be all on the subject.

Deadlock: The Inside Story of America's Closest Election is a workmanlike and emotionless recollection of the events surrounding the most controversial election of the past 100 years. It is a well organized, easy to follow and not visibly biased view of the relevant events leading up to and following the November 7 Presidential election. Seemingly accurate and double checked to a fault, reading this book left me with the impression that I had just read an excellent 275 page newspaper article and not much more. With almost no humor, lacking any sidebar comments, it is a book Joe Friday would be proud to call his own. While I am a Texan and Bush supporter, I much preferred Jake Tapper's Down & Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency. I guess this means that like most people, when push comes to shove, I'd rather be entertained than informed. I do regret this intellectual weakness and like some of the votes in Florida I may change. But probably not in the next 36 days.

I don't care what Repubs say, there was no liberal media bias apparent in this book. They showed both campaigns, warts and all, and let the public form its own opinion. The book was a fantastic behind-the-scenes re-telling of America's most recent Constitutional crisis, one that could have disrupted government for years to come. Of course, recent events have taken peoples' minds off of this contentious election, but this book should be pushed as much as possible so people will never forget that every vote actually does count sometimes.

I followed the 2000 election with academic interest during the confusing aftermath. This book (along with "Supreme Injustice") is one of the best on the subject. It reads like a mystery novel and paints the most complex legal arguments very articulately.A true insiders view of the 2000 election, I strongly recommend this book to anyone wanting to get a good picture of the events that led to George Bush winning the whitehouse, despite getting half a million votes less than his opponent.

This is a fast-paced, easy-to-read book about the craziest election this country has witnessed in a long time. I think one could save some money by finding the Washington Post's "in depth story" that are basically excerpts from this book. I guess it's just too current to give it a great review. Oh well. ENJOY!