Losers: The Road to Everyplace But the White House

In this wickedly funny political chronicle, the author of Liar's Poker looks back at the last presidential campaign to see how Americans really go about choosing their next president and interprets its significance for America as a nation. Photos.

Michael Lewis is a master at dissecting the absurd: after skewering Wall Street in his national bestseller Liar's Poker, he packed his mighty pen and set out on the 1996 campaign trail. As he follows the men who aspire to the Oval Office, Lewis discovers an absurd mix of bravery and backpedaling, heroic possibility and mealy-mouthed sound bytes, and a process so ridiculous and unsavory that it leaves him wondering if everyone involved--from the journalists to the candidates to the people who voted--isn't ultimately a loser.

The contenders:

Pat Buchanan: becomes the first politician ever to choose a black hat over a white one.

Phil Gramm: spends twenty million dollars to convince voters of his fiscal responsibility.

John McCain: makes the fatal mistake of actually speaking his mind.

Alan Keyes: checks out of a New Hampshire hotel and tells the manager another candidate will be paying his bill.

Steve Forbes: refuses to answer questions about his father's motorcycles.

Bob Dole: marches through the campaign without ever seeming to care.

Losers is a wickedly funny, unflinching look at how America really goes about choosing a President.