While campaigning for President in 1992, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton said referring to his wife, Hillary, that if you voted for him you get “two for the price of one.”

clinton incThis bit of hucksterism seemed like a pitch for fast food hamburgers. Yet, it was more prophetic than anyone could have realized at the time.

During his eight years in the White House, Clinton was dogged by myriad scandals. He, of course, humiliated his wife and daughter in the worst imaginable way. He was suspended from the practice of law and became only the second president to be impeached. The mental pain had to have been excruciating.

Despite these and other setbacks, the family has survived, regrouped and is planning for the future.

In his superbly reported book, Clinton Inc.: The Audacious Rebuilding of a Political Machine [Broadside Books, 2014], Daniel Halper, a reporter with The Weekly Standard, describes the Clinton family’s rehabilitation with the public, their friends and their enemies.

Unlike the biblical Lazarus, the Clintons’ resurrection has been a series of calculated moves and forged relationships.

Readers seeking discussion of the Clintons’ marriage will not be disappointed. The book compares the marriage as “dueling CEOs of a multimillion dollar empire” with separate agendas and staffs. Bill Clinton is portrayed as being in Hillary’s eternal debt.

The Clintons have maintained their ferocity with protecting their image and their political standing. Halper reports that James Carville, Clinton’s 1992 campaign manager, obtained an unpublished manuscript of a book about the Clintons. Carville’s office even contacted Halper to see what areas of the Clintons’ lives he would be covering.

Many prominent political players including Sen. John McCain, former Sen. Joseph Lieberman and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich spoke on-the-record on their observations of the Clintons. Other sources spoke off-the-record for fear of reprisal. Some sources’ fear is palpable, and seemingly justified.

Halper describes an episode that illustrates Bill Clinton’s ingratiating style. In 2005, President Bush invited him to fly on Air Force One for the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Also on the flight was Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson, who previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican. He also served as chairman of the Republican National Committee during Clinton’s impeachment.

After making pleasant conversation, Clinton asked Nicholson who he thought would be the next Pope. Nicholson predicted it would be Cardinal Josef Ratzinger. Clinton balked at that opinion, saying a German would never be elected. He then went to the reporters on the plane and presented Nicholson’s prediction as his own. Ratzinger served as Pope Benedict XVI from 2005-2013.

According to the author all of the Clintons’ relationships are “transactional.” In their orbit, extreme loyalty is expected. Anything else merits a fast trip to oblivion. The only people who are not expendable are Bill, Hillary and their daughter Chelsea.

Halper also gives significant attention to the blossoming friendship between Bill Clinton and former President George H.W. Bush. It is reported that many in the Bush family have warmed to Clinton—but one prominent member of the Bush family doubts Clinton’s sincerity.

Hillary Clinton’s political rise is something that the family fiercely protects. Clinton Inc. reveals how the Clintons strong-arm the press and freeze out all but the most sympathetic reporters. The author names Hillary’s chief enforcers who shielded her from blame.

The book also reveals the Clintons’ obsession with money. For many years, first in Arkansas, and later in Washington, the Clintons lived in government-owned houses. Their lucrative book deals and speaking fees have made them multimillionaires, despite being “dead broke” when they left the White House.

Halper deftly analyzes Hillary Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State. Clinton Inc. reveals how President Obama’s National Security Council was the main body for developing foreign policy. She was given access to the President but her ideas were never implemented.

Despite all of this, as she was leaving the Cabinet, she and Obama seemed to form an alliance. While they were never fond of each other since their hard fought primary campaign in 2008, Obama has signaled that Hillary Clinton is his successor—to the chagrin of Vice President Joe Biden.

Halper does recount some scandals that could affect her future political ambitions. One of those was the rumor that she had a relationship with former White House Counsel Vince Foster when they were attorneys in Arkansas.

While opponents may raise these accusations Halper would have been better to omit it from the book without further substantiation.

However the next chapter of the Clinton family’s political life unfolds, Clinton Inc. will be essential to understanding this pivotal period, and to comprehend what may lie ahead.

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Kevin P. McVicker is account supervisor with Shirley & Banister Public Affairs in Alexandria, Va.