Mary Matalin and James Carville seem to be famous because he's a yellow dog Democrat and she is just as fervently a Republican and both have worked the past three presidential campaigns, each for "their side." Their marriage has been questioned as to whether it was a political stunt? A sham? (Presumably for the publicity) and the ever-popular, "What could you possibly see in each other?"
"Love & War - 20 Years, Three Presidents, Two Daughters and One Louisiana Home" by Mary Matalin and James Carville Blue Rider Press 336 pages $28.95
This is a good read. They took turns writing on a variety of subjects; thus it reads very much like a conversation/interview (in the good sense when the interviewees are being responsive.)
From everything I've read so far, few could be as diametrically opposed in so many ways as they are and stay in the same room, let alone the marital bed. He was diagnosed with ADHD five years after the marriage; she doesn't have it. His parents and siblings shrugged off any bizarre behaviors with, "Oh, that's just Jimmie being Jimmie."
He writes that the only way possible for him to survive is to have a rigid routine and to never take on a job that requires long spans of attention. She can (and has) watched eight movies in a row.
During the Bush-Gore recount, things were extremely tense, but otherwise they seem to consider political work as just a job and why discuss it at home? "A plumber doesn't want to come home and want to fix the toilet," is one of his oft-quoted statements.
It is an excellent memoir of the past 20 years and covers Clinton, Bush and Obama. I'm only on page 201 and can hardly wait to get to Obama. Some extremely interesting tidbits might pop up ...
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