60 Minutes Interviews Steve Schmidt about My Book while I Appear on C-Span
January 8th, 2010 . by MartyFor those of you who want to relive the McCain/Palin campaign this weekend, check out Anderson Cooper interviewing my former colleague Steve Schmidt about me on CBS’s 60 Minutes this Sunday:
Anderson: “The person in charge of her debate prep made a desparate call to Steve Schmidt.”
Schmidt: “[Marty] told us that the debate was going to be a debacle of historic and epic proportions. He told us she was not focused, she was not engaged. She was really not participating in the prep.”
From what Anderson told me, he actually did the interview with Steve in reference to my book (I Am Martin Eisenstadt: One Man’s (wildly inappropriate) Adventures with the Last Republicans) two months ago, but due to cost cutting at the Tiffany network, they held the footage and used it for their piece on John Heilemann and Mark Halperin’s new book Game Change.
The similarities between the two books are striking: Steve Schmidt is a major character in my book, and I have several chapters about the Sedona debate prep (that was the time Sarah confided in me that she didn’t know where Africa was and was confused about what countries were in NAFTA). Here’s a picture of me from my book - in Sedona, with campaign aides Randy Scheunemann and Nicolle Wallace. Coincidentally, I’ll be appearing this weekend on C-Span (the Tiffany of basic cable) on their critically acclaimed show BookTV this Saturday at 3pm ET. And I think we all know that serious political book readers are more likely to pay attention to C-Span on a Saturday afternoon than to what’s left of 60 Minutes after the AFC Wild Card Game goes into overtime (go Ravens!).
To be clear, “Game Change” is easily the second-best political memoir of the 2008 campaign next to mine. (and yes, John and Mark, feel free to use that blurb in promoting your book). Full disclosure: I’ve known John Heilemann for 20 years - we frequently take the “Pundit Express” (aka the Acela) together after episodes of Hardball, and we like to reminisce about our salad days living on Capitol Hill (where I distinctly remember carving presidential faces into old potatoes on Thanksgiving before devolving into vicious rubber band fights around the fireplace). I can’t speak for Mark, but John’s a smart writer with surprisingly good aim.
And let me remind my good readers that while John and Mark were allegedly out there “interviewing 200 people” for their book (myself included), I had already finished mine. Even before Sarah Palin’s own book came out, I might add. And let me also remi
nd you of some of the stellar reviews I’ve gotten since:
“Martin Eisenstadt’s new memoir…is essential reading for all political junkies.” - Ken Silverstein, Harper’s
“Consistently funny…I intend it as real praise when I say that ‘I Am Martin Eisenstadt’ is the best fake memoir of the campaign season.” - Atlantic Monthly Sr. Editor Joshua Green in The Washington Monthly
“What Stephen Colbert is to Bill O’Reilly, Martin Eisenstadt is to countless political pundits. Hilarious…biting commentary on Washington, DC.” - Jeremy Jacobs, Politics Magazine
“It’s a fiendishly fun book, full of startling revelations: Eisenstadt lost his virginity to Oliver North’s secretary, Fawn Hall; was taken hostage by Somali pirates en route to Egypt; and tipped the press to Mark Foley’s career-ending text messages….A very clever book certain to delight political wonks.” - David Pitt, ALA Booklist
“Amazing!” – Howard Kurtz, CNN
“This Martin Eisenstadt character is pure genius.” - Mori Dinauer, The American Prospect
