Polling to Govern: Public Opinion and Presidential Leadership. By Diane J. Heith. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2003. 216p. $50.00 cloth, $19.95 paper.

Those who are troubled by the ubiquity of public opinion polls, particularly members of the press and public, often complain that polling has turned political leaders into followers, afraid to champion policies unless they are already broadly popular. Bill Clinton was often accused of conducting a poll-driven presidency, particularly after his party lost control of Congress. Similarly, George W. Bush's key political adviser, Karl Rove, is seen by many as the architect of a strategy in which nearly all of his boss's actions are taken with at least one eye on reelection.