HOUSE RULES, by Robert Cwiklik, Villard Books, 257 pages, $26.50

Since the fourth grade, Peter Hoagland had his sights set on the bleached marble of the U.S. Capitol.

In 1988, he realized his dream, and the lawyer and state legislator from Nebraska became part of the Class of 1989, which was to witness the fall of a House speaker, the start of dealing with the S&L crisis, a rift over whether to amend the Constitution to stop flag-burning, and an embarrassing pay raise that left public confidence in the Congress at a pitiful low.

Robert Cwiklik, a journalist, shadowed Hoagland during his race for the House of Representatives and his quest to keep that seat for more than one term. What results is an interesting and often fresh perspective into the corridors of the old-boy network. Hoagland, Cwiklik writes, is a typical Washington insider — blue suits, Ivy-League diplomas, an aristocratic background, and a penchant for raising money. Hoagland and his aides spend much of their time ensuring that the freshman is set up for re-election — chastizing local reporters for shallow coverage and working to present an image of a crisp and sharp policy-maker, a comer in the nation’s capital.

It was no accident that Hoagland, a shrewd politician, worked to earn a spot on the House Banking Committee, where the white-hot spotlight of the S&L mess would shine. If he could come through as a thoughtful and influential congressman there, he figured, he had it made. It also would allow him to bring home the bacon for influential Nebraskans who are so necessary to a successful campaign war chest.

One of the few drawbacks to Cwiklik’s portrait is that, while the reader is privy to private conversations and the inner workings of a congressional office, the work is not as deep as it could have been, perhaps another victim of Hoagland’s obsession with his own image. But Cwiklik also shows the pure side of a freshman: Hoagland, while rich, is truly cheap, and refuses to spend $250 of taxpayer money for a pair of flags for his office. While some parts of the book will confirm voter cynicism about a politician’s noted drive for self-preservation, it also shows that some politicians begin as public servants.

John Ripley is a reporter on the NEWS government desk.