"In his quiet but intense way, Jim Lehrer earns the trust of the major political players of our time," notes Barbara Walters. "He explains and exposes their hopes and dreams, their strengths and failures as they try to put their best foot forward." From the man widely hailed as "the Dean of Moderators" comes a lively and revealing book that pulls back the curtain on more than forty years of televised political debate in America. A veteran newsman who has presided over eleven presidential and vice-presidential debates, Jim ...
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"In his quiet but intense way, Jim Lehrer earns the trust of the major political players of our time," notes Barbara Walters. "He explains and exposes their hopes and dreams, their strengths and failures as they try to put their best foot forward." From the man widely hailed as "the Dean of Moderators" comes a lively and revealing book that pulls back the curtain on more than forty years of televised political debate in America. A veteran newsman who has presided over eleven presidential and vice-presidential debates, Jim Lehrer gives readers a ringside seat for some of the epic political battles of our time, shedding light on all of the critical turning points and rhetorical faux pas that helped determine the outcome of America's presidential elections--and with them the course of history. Drawing on his own experiences as "the man in the middle seat," in-depth interviews with the candidates and his fellow moderators, and transcripts of key exchanges, Lehrer isolates and illuminates what he calls the "Major Moments" and "killer questions" that defined the debates, from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain. Oftentimes these moments involve the candidates themselves and are seared into our collective political memory. Michael Dukakis stumbles badly over a question about the death penalty. Dan Quayle compares himself to John F. Kennedy once too often. Barack Obama and John McCain barely make eye contact over the course of a ninety-minute discussion. At other times, the debate moderators themselves become part of the story--and Lehrer is there to give us a backstage look at the drama. Peter Jennings suggests surprising the candidates by suspending the carefully negotiated rules minutes before the 1988 presidential debate--to the consternation of his fellow panelists. Lehrer himself weathers a firestorm of criticism over his performance as moderator of the 2000 Bush-Gore debate. And then there are the excruciating moments when audio lines go dead and TelePrompTers stay dark just seconds before going on the air live in front of a worldwide television audience of millions. Asked to sum up his experience as a participant in high-level televised debates, President George H. W. Bush memorably likened them to an evening in "tension city." In Jim Lehrer's absorbing insider account, we find out that truer words were never spoken.
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Add this copy of Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates to cart. $7.99, very good condition, Sold by More Than Words rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Random House.
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Add this copy of Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates to cart. $8.75, very good condition, Sold by The Maryland Book Bank rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from baltimore, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Random House.
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Add this copy of Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates to cart. $10.98, very good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Random House.
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Very Good. Very Good condition. Very Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.
Add this copy of Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates to cart. $10.98, good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Random House.
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Good. Good condition. Good dust jacket. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
Add this copy of Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates to cart. $12.17, good condition, Sold by BooksRun rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Philadelphia, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Random House.
Add this copy of Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates to cart. $15.45, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Random House.
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Add this copy of Tension City to cart. $16.00, very good condition, Sold by Priceless Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Urbana, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Random House.
Add this copy of Tension City to cart. $16.44, good condition, Sold by The Yard Sale Store rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Narrowsburg, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Random House Audio.
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Good. 5 Worthwhile and individually polished AUDIO CDs. Withdrawn from the library collection with some library sticker and marking. Enjoy this reliable audio CD performance.
Add this copy of Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates (Signed) to cart. $16.95, like new condition, Sold by Sequitur Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Boonsboro, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Random House.
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Like New. Size: 6x0x9; Flat signed by Jim Lehrer on title page. Hardcover and dust jacket. Good binding and cover. Light wear. Price clipped. Clean, unmarked pages. *Autographed by author. *
