Review: Rawhide Down

I've read a number of politically oriented books, most of which were biographical or autobiographical in nature. Most modern narratives of this sort seem designed to either put the subject in the most positive and noble light possible, or they aim to utterly destroy the subject in the most heinous of ways. I tend to buy books that do the former, not to avoid the reality of history, but rather because I find it easier to be objective and see through a narrative that puts a positive spin on a subject than to suffer through the inevitable demagoguery and intentional misrepresentation offered by those authors bent on character assassination.

A well researched narrative is often at least somewhat balanced, despite any predilections of the author. But truly, in the end, a look inside the lives, ideas, and events of some of our political figures always illustrates one primary truth: they are people. Men or women with virtues and faults, some trying not to lose their way in the morass of politics and power, others relishing both and becoming unrecognizable in the process.

I own a few books on Reagan, including the ones containing excerpts of his diaries. As I sat down to read Rawhide Down, however, I was looking for something different: a glimpse into the history not widely shared, but revealing of both the person and the personae in one of the first political crises in my young lifetime (I was nine when, on March 30, 1981, John W. Hinckley, Jr. took aim at President Reagan outside the Washington Hilton Hotel). Rawhide Down tells the story of that momentous day.

We see up close the key actors in this high stakes drama. The Reagans. Hinckley. The Troika (James Baker, Michael Deaver, Edwin Meese). Casper Weinberger. Alexander Haig, who so famously muffed the presidential order of authority and succession. Agent Jerry Parr. Drs. David Gens, Benjamin Aaron, and Joseph Giordano. National Security Advisor Richard V. Allen, whose secret recordings of dialog within the Situation Room that day were made public not all that long ago. And several others.

The narrative flows like that of a suspense thriller, stringing together events and characters from several key settings as the drama plays out. As these characters are introduced, we are treated to simple but relevant backstories using the common flashback device. Indeed, there are a couple of places in the story where you remind yourself that these are real people living through and coping with real events. Rawhide Down is not exhaustive, nor do I believe it was intended to be. But it was clearly and meticulously researched, as the nearly 50 pages of notes and citations at the back of the book will attest. Rawhide Down puts on display the events of that day in a manner that is detailed, informative and accessible to the layman.

In some of the reviews I read after reading the book for myself, a few critics took issue with what they perceived to be elements of hero worship in the narrative. To be sure, in the decades since Reagan left office, there is more than a little of that in evidence, especially in conservative circles. But from my own recollection, as well as the common lore, Reagan very much conveyed a confident humor and charm that enchanted more than a few on both sides of the political aisle. It stands to reason that the public personae of the man closely matched the man himself, and therefore the recollections of numerous doctors, nurses, agents and other players close to the situation should not be summarily discounted as hero worship. Indeed, I feel certain that if something distinctly negative about the President's demeanor had been offered by one or more of these witnesses to history, we would know about it.

My personal recollections of that day are understandably weak. Rawhide Down does an admirable job of filling in the gaps and broadening the canvas of an event that involved far more than the fate of a man. As it is with so many other pivotal moments, the turning points of history can be measured in inches.