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Democratic political consultant Bob Shrum has written a book that I have no intention of reading. A galley copy is sitting on my bookshelf and I’ve looked at it a couple of times - even opened it to check a reference that was made yesterday - but I’m not going to read it.

You see Bob Shrum’s claim to fame is that he’s never quarterbacked a winning a presidential campaign (though he did work for Jimmy Carter for 9 days in 1976). Over the years, Shrum has worked for the presidential campaigns of Edmund Muskie, George McGovern, Ted Kennedy, Dick Gephardt, Bob Kerrey, Al Gore and most recently John Kerry. Wow what a litany of failure. Granted it’s an accomplishment to run a presidential (something I’ll never have the honor of doing), but sooner or later you ought to win one.

I’ve not chosen to avoid this this book because Shrum’s a loser, I’m not reading it because everything I know about the man’s professional habits offend me. He stabs other consultants in the back as a means to gain more business. He never met a speechwriter who he thought was nearly as good as he in putting the candidate’s policies to rhetorical music. Shrum’s over-inflated sense of of his own abilities has done more harm to his clients than any of their opponents have.

To some extent, it would appear that this book will be Shrum’s swan song. According to what I’ve read about and confirmed in the book, Shrum sheds some unfavorable light on those for whom he’s worked - John Edwards for example. In doing so, Shrum breaks the first commandment of political consulting - “though shalt not speak ill of the client (whether former or current). By breaking this commandment, Shrum has sealed his fate as a consultant who cannot be trusted - and I would be shocked to see someone retain him in the future…

although Democrats have been known to do some pretty stupid things.