[King:] Get ready for Hillary Clinton in her own words. Her book on the 2016 campaign doesn't hit store shelves until next week. But CNN was able to obtain a copy of it. Clinton deals in a why she think she lost, who's to blame and the investigation of Russia meddling in the election. Clinton writes, "There's nothing I was looking forward to more than showing Putin that his efforts to influence our election and install a friendly puppet had failed. I know he must be enjoying everything that's happened instead. But he hasn't had the last laugh yet." That's just one excerpt from the book. Let's bring in CNN Senior White House Correspondent, Jeff Zeleny. Jeff, you covered the Clinton campaign. You've read the book. What did you learn?
[Jeff Zeleny, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] Well, John, I think that the biggest take away, she places blame more than she ever has before and she also accepts more blame than she ever has before. And for a political candidate, someone who's gone in the public eye this long, that is big deal to accept a lot of blame and responsibility. Of course, plenty blame to go around in this campaign but she's just quite frankly that she missed the mood and the moment and misjudged the anger in the electorate. Of course, she takes some shots at Bernie Sanders as we've seen already, the President, of course. But she also I think the biggest value of this book, John, she offers a window into something that only she could see. This is one example here of that phone call with Donald Trump. It says this, "It was without a doubt one of the strangest moments of my life. I congratulated Trump and offered to do anything I could to make sure the transition was smooth. It was all perfectly nice and weirdly ordinary, like calling a neighbor to say you can't make it to his barbecue. It was mercifully brief. I was numb. It was all so shocking." And that of course is her description that early morning phone call on the day after the election into those early morning hours, John, when she realized she, of course, would not be the president. So, I think this book it's about 440 pages or so, a lot of this reflective. She talks about her marriage. She says quite frankly she will not run for office again. She hopes she'll be able to vote for the first woman president if this person agrees with her. She also, John, I thought offer interesting window. George W. Bush offered a phone call to her as she was making her concession speech the next day. He waited on the line until she finished shaking hands and that's when they talk. So, she had conversation with a Republican president calling her the morning after. So, it just gives sense of draw in motion on those days back in November, John.
[King:] All right. Most of them, whoever you think a George W. Bush, his manners, he takes this
[Zeleny:] No question.
[King:] Jeff Zeleny appreciate those insights. And Jeff just noted how uncomfortable just Hillary Clinton describes the phone call with now President Trump, then-President-elect Trump in the book. Let's go back to election night and parts of that moment.
[Trump:] I've just received a call from Secretary Clinton. She congratulated us, it's about us on our victory and I congratulated her and her family on a very, very hard fought campaign.
[John Podesta, Former Campaign Chairman To Hillary Clinton:] Everybody should head home. You should get some sleep. We'll have more to say tomorrow.
[King:] John Podesta, the Clinton campaign chairman there sending the crowd home. Remember, Hillary Clinton did not come out and speak to her supporters that night. She waited until the next day. A reminder of the surreal nature of election night, a reminder that's only Clinton discusses in the book. She also says this, "I can go back over my own shortcomings and the mistakes we made. I can take responsibility for all of them. You can blame the data, blame the message, blame anything you want but I was the candidate. It was my campaign. Those were my decisions." Cross to her for that. There are other things on the book people are going to disagree with but she was the candidate. These were her decisions and at least she straight up there says on me.
[Phillip:] Yes. You know, you played that moment of John Podesta coming out. I think I was there that night. It will live on in for me in my mind as the moment that really illustrated how numb she must have been, to make a decision like that to not show up that night, to not close the door on this campaign in a way and only do the next morning. It is really reflective of how hard it was for them. You know, I think it's interesting that this book is just going to kind of like for a lot of her supporters, an opportunity for them to share on her venting, to share in their collective grief. I'm not sure it will help anyone really move on, but I think she's a human being. I can think she has a right to her thought.
[Henderson:] Yes. And that's what we hadn't really seen from Hillary Clinton like how does she really feel. I mean, her talking about all that phone call and being numbed. And when you imagine, she's going to feel that way for maybe the rest of her life. I mean, there's sense of lost. This is what she had wanted for many years and got it really snatched away. I mentioned in her mind, she sees is that way. So this will be, you know, Hillary Clinton sort of the raw version that we hadn't seen.
[Lizza:] You know, I know from people who have talked to and have been around her in the months since she lost the election that she just spent so much of that time in classic Clinton fashion, studying, processing, trying to figure out what changed in America, what she did wrong and Trump did right to understand her lost. It was very evident if you read the book that that's what the books is about it. She cites a lot of political science and experts and really trying to make process how the rise of Trump happened and how she failed to stop it.
[King:] Is it snarky to raise this question on her book tour? She's going to Michigan and Wisconsin.
[Bender:] Really? Really? Yes. Well, I Really? I'm not sure on the, can she gets out there, but, you know, she was finally, right. She gets out there and see some of Trump country.
[King:] I guess that's a little mean. But it's just a fact, you know, that she'd been in Wisconsin, Michigan maybe during the campaign. We'll leave that for another day. Thanks for joining us on INSIDE POLITICS. We'll see you back here tomorrow. Wolf Blitzer up after a quick break.