Hardball: How Politics is Played, Told by One Who Knows the Game

A former Senate aide, presidential speech writer and assistant to Tip O'Neill, Matthews here offers an entertaining view of Washington politics. He covers much the same ground as Hedrick Smith's The Power Game but writes more informally and with amused tolerance of ``the true believers in the power of political self-interest.'' The anecdotes illuminate rules for success in playing hardball, which Matthews defines as ``clean, aggressive Machiavellian politics'': keep your enemies in front of you. A Reagan example of savvy is among the most vivid: the president's remark during the debates with Mondale that he would not exploit for political purposes ``his opponent's youth and inexperience.'' Matthews, who writes a column for the San Francisco Chronicle, turns unexpectedly stern in his discussion of a third rule: the press is the enemy. ``Like policemen, they are always on duty. Don't trust any of them.'' (June)