Chris Whipple

"The first in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the White House Chiefs of Staff, whose actions--and inactions--have defined the course of our country. Since George Washington, presidents have depended on the advice of key confidants. But it wasn't until the twentieth century that the White House chief of staff became the second most powerful job in government. Unelected and unconfirmed, the chief serves at the whim of the president, hired and fired...

"Only eleven men and one woman are alive today who have made the life-and-death decisions that come with running the world's most powerful and influential intelligence service. With unprecedented, deep access to nearly all these individuals plus several of their predecessors, Chris Whipple tells the story of an agency that answers to the United States president alone, but whose activities--spying, espionage, and covert action--take place on every...

Part 1 explores how people react - or choose not to act or react - to situations that drive us all crazy ; like people talking on their cell phones too long, out of control kids, out of control grown-ups, situations that cry out for action, and the question becomes : "What would you do?" In Part 2, a socialite, a businessman, a boxer from the inner city and a Broadway dancer - four people with completely different lives connected by nothing - accept...