Buck Up, Suck Up . . . and Come Back When You Foul Up 12 Winning Secrets from the War Room

The political strategists who directed the Clinton campaign's War Room reveal the lessons and secrets from their hard-fought battles -- and how to use these highly effective strategies for success in business and everyday life.James Carville and Paul Begala have waged political war all across America and on three continents. They've won some of the most spectacular political victories of the twentieth century and lost a few campaigns too. Along the way, they've learned a few lessons. Some sound simple, like "Never Quit," some comic, like "Kiss Ass," and some are more complicated and nuanced, like "Strategy Ain't Tactics." But each lesson contains tried-and-true wisdom, illustrated with colorful stories from long political experience: Find out how Carville's mother used a bass boat to "frame the debate" inselling encyclopedias. Learn the War Room tricks for sharpening your message and delivering the perfect sound bite. Discover what success secret Hillary Rodham Clinton and Tom DeLay share. And much more.Whether you are a senior executive or a secretary, a political junkie or the president of the United States, the rules to live by can be found inBuck Up, Suck Up...and Come Back When You Foul Up.

James Carville is the best-known and most-loved political consultant in American history. He is also a speaker, talk-show host, actor, and author with six New York Times bestsellers to his credit. Part of a large Southern family, he grew up without a television and loved to listen to the stories his mama told. Mr. Carville lives with his wife, Mary Matalin, and their two daughters in New Orleans.

Paul Begala was a chief strategist for the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign. He served as counselor to the president in the Clinton White House, where he coordinated policy, politics, and communications. He was senior adviser to the pro-Obama Super PAC that played a critical role in reelecting Obama in 2012. He is the author of five books, including Is Our Children Learning?: The Case Against George W. Bush; It’s Still the Economy, Stupid; Buck Up, Suck Up...and Come Back When You Foul Up (with James Carville); Third Term: Why George W. Bush Loves John McCain; and Take it Back: Our Party, Our Country, Our Future (with James Carville). Begala is a CNN political commentator and an affiliated professor of public policy at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. Paul earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Texas. He and his wife live quietly in Virginia with their four sons and a German shepherd. (Okay, so they don’t live too quietly.)

ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction RULE 1: DON'T QUIT. DON'T EVER QUIT. RULE 2: KISS ASS RULE 3: KICK ASS RULE 4: FRAME THE DEBATE RULE 5: UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STRATEGY AND TACTICS RULE 6: BE OPEN RULE 7: KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE RULE 8: WORK YOUR ASS OFF RULE 9: TURN WEAKNESS INTO STRENGTH RULE 10: BE NIMBLE, JACK RULE 11: KNOW HOW TO RECOVER WHEN YOU REALLY SCREW UP RULE 12: KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU WINConclusionSource Notes