This work has long been considered a classic description of the legislative process. In it, the author draws on his two years as a member of Senator Warren Magnuson's staff to trace the drafting and passing of a piece of legislation -S.4106, the National Health Service Bill - with all the manoeuvres, plots, counter-plots, frustrations, triumphs, and sheer work and dedication involved. He provides a vivid picture of the bureaucratic infighting, political prerogatives, and congressional courtesies necessary to make something happen on Capitol Hill. In a postscript to the 2000 edition, he reflects on how that process has, and has not, changed in the 30 years since the book was first published.