Did Hillary Clinton throw a lamp at her husband the week of his first inauguration? Was Mamie Eisenhower a heavy drinker? Was FDR unfaithful to Eleanor? How about Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Clinton, or George W. Bush? And was 19th century presidential candidate John Fremont really a cannibal? In this witty and irreverent book, New York Times editor Gail Collins examines more than 200 years of gossip, rumors and innuendo about American politics. Filled with wickedly entertaining stories, Scorpion Tongues examines the ever-evolving relationship between our elected officials and the media, and the ever-blurring line between politics and celebrity. Gail Collins is the editor of the Editorial Page at the New York Times -- the first woman to hold that position. Before that, she wrote the "Public Interest" column for the paper's Op-Ed page, was a member of the editorial board, and wrote columns for the New York Daily News and New York Newsday. She is the author of America's Women: Four Hundred Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines. She has written articles for New York Times Magazine, Nation, and Ladies Home Journal, among others, and has appeared on "Meet the Press," "Imus in the Morning," and "Larry King Live.".