Rating: 
Summary: Some classis parts, but overall uneven...
Review: I thought that the sections dealing with the pre-Clinton administrations were excellent and I was well on my way to thinking that this was a classic book...then I got to the Clinton section and was very disappointed. I was hoping for more than just another account of Clinton's indiscretions, but this could definetly be thrown into that pile. Some kudos, I guess, for new information, but, in my opinion, the Clinton chapters are so "National Enquirer-ish", it offsets the good parts. Also, the overall writing in the Clinton section could be much better (too dry). Read the Ford through Bush sections, but don't bother with the Clinton chapter.
Rating: 
Summary: Great details, no theme
Review: Woodward has astounding sources, and with this book finally some footnotes as well (though many of them merely say "interview with an informed source"). He tells detailed stories about incidents and/or scandals in each of the post-Watergate presidencies. Yet they vary widely in how well they fit into the supposed theme of the book, that Watergate casts a 'shadow' over presidents who do not heed its lessons (and, evidently, none of them do, or can). The Ford chapter accuses him of being a drunk; the Carter chapter (while vivid, and fascinating) is less about Nixon than Carter's head-on collision with the realities of governance in the Cold War. Every once in a while Woodward remembers he has a thesis, but all in all the pre-Clinton portion of the book seems like a collation of things off a gifted reporter's 'cutting room floor,' and might have been better as separate essays. The Clinton chapters, while not free of this, fit the 'shadow' theme best (especially since HRC was a very junior Watergate prosecutor), and provide a lot of juicy new information. But Jeffrey Toobin's _Vast Conspiracy_ covers much of this same ground too, and is better written.
Rating:
Summary: A little bit too much Lewinsky for me..
Review: Bob Woodward's "Shadow - Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate" is an insightful book about how the Watergate scandal affected the presidencies of Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Bill Clinton. Politics and scandals have gone hand in hand all through US history, but it was the Watergate scandal that became the example of scandal so great that it could actually cause the downfall of the US presidency. In the first part of the book, Woodward discusses the effects after the Watergate scandal, and how it has influenced the oval office. The Watergate scandal obviously affected the two presidents closest in time, Ford and Carter, the most. President Ford, because he pardoned Nixon (and the uproar that followed doing so), and Carter, whose promise of change, his promise of total ethics ["I will never lie to you"], stood in great contrast to the scandals involving Bert Lance and Hamilton Jordan. Discussed is also the Reagan and Bush's Iran-Contra scandal, including all of the details and questions regarding what Reagan evidently knew (or didn't). The second half of the book is almost exclusively devoted to the apparently endless scandals and moral blunders of the Clinton Administration, with particular emphasis on the Lewinsky scandal. Quite frankly, the first and second half of the book are like two different books. I found the first part of the book to be incredibly interesting, and then the second part, to be... well, "just another Lewinsky book"... But I did find the details which shows us how the Clinton-Starr battle(s) turned personal to be very interesting (and frightening). Woodward shows us how the Independent council has almost become a monster of its' own, no longer controllable by any political branch or office! I give credit to Woodward for explaining this in a way so that the lay reader can understand how the Independent Council Act has affected the oval office. My motive for reading this book was to gain a better understanding of the Watergate scandal. Of how the Watergate scandal has changed the political culture of Washington, changed the function of the presidency, and also what effect the Watergate scandal has had on the role of the press in the American society. The two disclosures in this book that surprised me the most, were about Bush and his attitude regarding the 1991 Gulf War, and Reagan, and his loss of memory *while* he was still in office. Overall the book is well written and a good read. But unfortunately, the book hardly touches on Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush, in comparison to the number of pages devoted to Clinton. Because of the number of pages devoted to the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal I ended up feeling that I got more gossip than political history, and therefore not full value for my money.
Rating: 
Summary: People in perfectly good faith see different things.
Review: Probably the most telling part of the book for me was when Woodward mentioned the movie Rashomon numerous times. "...people in perfectly good faith see different things and have different recollections." Perhaps the book itself is a prime example. "Shadow" should be read alongside other accounts of the events it describes. Because Woodward makes an editorial decision to portray a single event through the eyes of a specific single person (I would love to have him give a presentation on how he made those decisions)...you are left wondering how that event might be viewed by other key players on the other end of the political spectrum. Granted, perception is relative. But to frame events through the eyes of a lawyer hired by a politician is somewhat perplexing to me. Some things are true no matter what spin is placed on them.
Rating: 
Summary: Woodward Gets It Right - Again
Review: Having read several books authored by the man who made his name with Watergate, I believe this is the best one I have picked up. What makes Woodward such a valuable resource these days is not only does he disseminate the facts to his readers, but he draws conclusions supported by those facts. Democrat or Republican, if politics is your cup of tea, then Shadow is a Washington Tea Party. For me, the 2 biggest revelations were about Bush and his attitude about the 1991 Gulf War, and Reagan, and his memory loss while he was still in the White House. Some scary stuff! Not necessarily negative, but very interesting.
Rating:
Summary: A different book than Woodward normally writes
Review: Woodward seems to have written more an historical work here than he normally does. The book is also quite a bit longer than his normal works. I read the chapters on Ford through Bush last year when the book came out and read the large Clinton impeachment proceedings section this year in conjunction with reading Maestro. The Clinton section, in my mind, was stronger than the previous presidencies covered, although much of the material has been previously known. Maestro is a much stronger book.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful and Challenging
Review: I guess I wanted to read more reasons to not like Republican presidents and I expected Bob Woodward to provide that for me. What I really encountered was a balanced, insightful book that made me see events through clearer, more objective prose than I may have expected. Contrary to other reviews, I was more enthralled with the perspectives of the Nixon-Bush era and really, I guess, just too darned tired of the Clinton stuff to do anything more than just read away. Certainly readable and balanced. An exceptionally talented author.
Rating:
Summary: Not Bad
Review: Woodward does amaze us once again with his ability to uncover usually covert information. He successfully ties the information to allow the reader to understand how the Independent Council Act has affected political office in America. Society has began to take a different attitude towards knowledge concerning our presidents actions. We want to know everything. Woodward shows how the Independent council had almost became a beast of it's own. No longer controlable by any branch. Unfortunately with the structure of our government there are few alternatives. The book is captivating and informational. I Just hope Bob will one day write a book without mentioning Watergate.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, but Woodward blew it at the end...
Review: This was a great book, but Woodward blows it in the end. Nevertheless, I highly recommend it. Woodward shows the effects of the disintegration of trust and the pervasive atmosphere of scandal-mongering on the Presidency and the country in convincing detail. While I disrespect Clinton for his shoddy moral control, I must conclude that Washington would never have judged anything that this man ever did as acceptable. The story here is that the Presidency, no matter who is in it, is crippled by distrust. But, at the end, Woodward blows it. The whole book screams about the horrible atmosphere of distrust. Sure, it is clear that Bill is a pants-out'a-control idiot. But the message is the atmosphere. Yet in the 4-page epilogue, Woodward blames it all on Clinton. It is as if he wasn't aware of the convincing masterpiece of a message he has created. Bob, what planet did you fly off to for these last few pages?
Rating:
Summary: Good, but enough with your Watergate legacy already!
Review: Bob Woodward writes a nicely done book. He lays out facts and fills in the gaps with seemingly authentic dialogue. However, this is another example of his not allowing us to get over Watergate. He made his reputation on Watergate and he apparently will die before he will allow people stop hearing about Watergate!
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