Netflix produced a series that I'm watching now, HOUSE OF CARDS.
I give it very high marks as a
MUST SEE
In Washington DC where everything is bought, sold and traded, Kevin Spacey performs brilliantly in his role as US Representative Francis (Frank) J. Underwood, a Democrat from South Carolina's 5th congressional district and the House Majority Whip. I've seen a lot of Kevin Spacey's work and found his acting credible, but he outdoes himself in House of Cards.
A couple of quotes from Kevin Spacey's character in the second episode:
"When the tit's that big, everybody gets in line."
"What a martyr craves more than anything else is a sword to fall on."
"He chose money over power. In this town, a mistake that nearly everyone makes Money is the mansion in Sarasota that starts falling apart after ten years. Power is the old stone building that stands for centuries. I can't stand a person who can't tell the difference."
Robin Wright plays Claire Underwood, Frank's wife and co-schemer. She runs a non-profit that gets mixed up in the political mix.
The entire first season premiered on February 1, 2013 on the Netflix streaming service. A second season of 13 episodes is currently in production
Kate Mara does a very believable job as a cub reporter for the Washington Herald who makes a devil's deal with Frank.
Usually Hollywood takes cheap shots at the Republicans. HOUSE OF CARDS lays out the grim truth that Washington DC (and all politics) is based on double dealing, treachery, sex and lies. It's just that in this unusually well written series, the Democratic Party is the worst of both bad guys.
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The Old Whore: A Novel of Cartel Wars
In the parlance of the Central Intelligence Agency, old whores are clandestine operators who would do anything to get the job done.
(excerpt)
"Sanctioned assassination, extraordinary rendition? You weren't sitting in the big chair that you're in today, but the Outfit handed it off to the Special Activities Division for resolution two years ago." He leaned forward in his chair. "Why not do it again? They're very good at that sort of thing."
"Not possible under the present guidelines. We ran it past the Director of National Intelligence and he ran it past the President's godfather, the Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He said that we should forget about it."
"So we forget about it?"
"Uh, no, Frank, definitely not. We simply can't do anything directly, but we can use a cat's paw."