BOOK REVIEW
The K Street Gang: The Rise and Fall of the Republican Machine
Matthew Continetti's first book combines the best and worst features of a tunnel vision. On the one hand, the reader goes smoothly and quickly through the story Continetti tells. On the other hand, the reader sees almost nothing that would distract him from that smooth and quick story. Continetti promises a story about the K Street project, which was the effort led by Tom DeLay to bludgeon Washington lobbying firms into cutting off Democrats from jobs and money. Continetti delivers a story about the rise and fall of Jack Abramoff and his associates. The story promised and the story delivered are related, but they are not the same. Focusing the Abramoff story makes sense: It's a good story, and one that Continetti tells well (though I was surprised at the lack of original reporting, given that Continetti is on the scene in Washington, DC). But by devoting eight of the book's 11 chapters to Team Abramoff, Continetti implies that the problem was limited to those people, and his disclaimers otherwise lack the vigor he gives to the main thrust of his story. The K Street Gang is a promising start from a young pundit, and I look forward to his next book.
Review posted: 20 January 2008
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