Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites: My Adventures in Cable News

Every weeknight, millions of Americans tune in to see Tucker Carlson anchor the right side of the aisle on CNN's Crossfire. Named by New York magazine as the journalist most likely to succeed in the Years of Bush, he has charmed liberals and roused conservatives with his singular brand of acerbic wit and razor-sharp insight. Tossed by fate (and the O.J. Simpson murder trial) into the trenches of electronic journalism, Carlson learned early that "television brings out the crazy in people." Naturally, he started taking notes. The result is a hilarious and brilliantly revealing look at the most powerful and weirdest medium there is. Carlson has not only seen television from the inside, but dares to describe it. In this book, he takes you behind the curtain of a political talk show: The hosts. The guests. The stalkers. From the heroic to the imprisoned to Monica Lewinsky's sex therapist, Carlson has interviewed them all. Not always edifying, but "definitely more fun than playing Scrabble with the shut-ins," it's a portrait you won't forget.