Rating: 
Summary: The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and t
Review: GREAT! Should be required reading for 7th graders thru the oldest seniors, both in US and internationally.
Rating:
Summary: Book Will Help End Bush Regime, the Sweetest Revenge
Review:
This book is, quite literally, one of the keys to a Democratic trouncing of Bush in 2004.
The author, an award-winning Wall Street journalist, makes three points in his brief introduction: 1) the greatest threat to national security is that of *bad analysis* (not just secret analysis but bad policy analysis); 2) the book is not a kiss and tell memoir as much as an eye-opening warning of what happens when ideology is substituted for policy analysis; and 3) the book is based on nineteen thousand documents--virtually every document the protagonist O'Neil touched--and hundreds of hours of interviews with people who by their very consent to be interviewed were validating O'Neil's account. This book is a classic, and the moderate Republican counter-part to Morton Halperin's similarly revelatory "Bureaucratic Politics & Foreign Affairs." Although much has been made of how O'Neil is disparaging of the incumbent president, that is a minor aspect. The heart of this book is about the competition between two forms of governance: the one that is overseen by Dick Cheney, in which ideological assumptions create policy without regard to the facts and in favor of the wealthy few that contribute to the incumbent's political coffers; and the one that was characteristic of wiser Republican presidents, including Nixon, Ford, Reagan and papa Bush, in which a philosophy of governance seeks to find a balanced middle ground based on an interplay of facts and political preferences. Summing the book up in two sentences: Bush-Cheney are about ideological victory at any cost, making policy in favor of their corporate crony base, without regard to the facts or the merits of any policy. O'Neil, and the winning candidate in 2004 if (big if) a multi-party coalition team can be put together, are about a reasoned process for arriving at sound policy in the context of fiscal discipline. This is an exciting book, and one that every moderate Republican will want to read as they contemplate joining with conservative Southern Democrats like Sam Nunn to create a new Fiscal Conservative Party. An early quote from O'Neil talking to Greenspan sums up the problem: "Our political system needs fixing. It needs to be based on reality. Not games." The book rewards anyone who actually reads it word for word with a number of gems. 1) The American economy is actually two economies. One embraces automation and is very productive as a result; the other relies on expert labor and having difficulty making gains. 2) Corporate tax contributions to national revenue have been halved from 1967 to 2000 [not addressed by O'Neil, but as the book "Perfectly Legal" documents, the tax code has become so corrupt that despite the enormous growth of the economy and the enormous profits being made by Halliburton et al, corporations are now escaping virtually all taxes, and this is a big part of why the US Government cannot cover its future obligations and growing debt.] 3) Iraq was the Bush-Cheney regime's top priority from day one. The very first National Security Council meeting was scripted to put Iraq in play, and the Director of Central Intelligence was a full collaborator in this endeavor, coming to the meeting with a variety of images (all subsequently called into question) that purported to make the case for Iraq being a threat requiring action. As O'Neil recollects in the book: "Ten days in, and it was about Iraq." 4) The unilateralist character of the regime is also addressed. As this review is being written, the Administration is posturing about going after nuclear proliferators, which makes the O'Neil critique of the Rumsfeld approach to proliferation control all the more meaningful: "A traditional counterpoint, that international organizations and a web of economic and cultural interdependencies--as well as protective alliances--could help to control such deadly proliferation, is not mentioned in the six-page memo. The neoconservative view places little faith in such arrangements, or, for that matter, in diplomacy." There it is again. The Bush Administration is about a big military stick motivated by ideology and not at all informed by any kind of inter-agency policy review process. 5) The book provides a very clear understanding of the pathologies of the Bush White House that will be most helpful to the person finally challenging Bush in 2004. The degree to which Rove literally shuts the Cabinet officers out and manipulates policy to appeal to "the base" of cash contributors is quite extraordinary. The degree to which Cheney manipulates letters from the Hill and other matters warrants its own chapter, titled "No Fingerprints." The degree to which Lindsey, a loosely-educated ideological wonk in way over his head, leaks to the press to undermine the Secretary of the Treasury, is noteworthy. 6) Rove's conspiratorial manipulation of Presidential policymaking led, in Bush's *first* State of the Union message, to the first known instance in which the president "said something that knowledgeable people in the U.S. government knew to be false", this with respect to a $1.2 trillion calculation that was knowably false and enormously important to the bond market. This was nothing less than a precursor to future false statements by the president that can be attributed to an unprofessional policy process dominated by a few ideologues. 7) There is a very fine section on clean water and reliable electricity as the heart of saving the Third World, and we are treated to the contrast between a beltway bandit costing out a water network for one country at $2 billion, and O'Neil saying it could be done for $25 million. This vignette captured everything that is wrong with both Washington and the military-industrial complex. This book is packed with gems, all of them useful to anyone seeking to document why Bush and Cheney are unfit to lead America. They broke most if not all of their promises to "the center", and they are twice removed from reality: once on tax cuts and a second time on the doctrine of preemption in foreign affairs.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ
Review: If u want to read about the competency (or lack thereof) of our president when it comes to economic policy, then this book is a must read!! Plus it gives you good insights into the inner workings of the Bush admin.
Rating: 
Summary: Half valuable, completely disturbing
Review: The Price of Loyalty is really two books in one. The first part concentrates on painting a flattering picture of its main subject, former Treasury Secretary and Alcoa Chairman Paul O'Neill. This part is at times gratingly predictable, painting a picture of Mr. O'Neill as a maverick genius, the only member of President George W. Bush's inner circle with the awareness and valor to point out that the emperor has no clothes. The second part, which is much more interesting and important, points out that -- at least the way Mr. O'Neill tells the tale -- the emperor indeed has no clothes. I was briefly tempted to suggest that every American ought to read this book before voting in the upcoming election, but I won't because I think that its credibility is strained by the many times the two main themes of the book overlap. It is hard to avoid doubts about whether certain episodes are told with the goal of painting the preordained picture of Mr. O'Neill, the hero, or of Mr. Bush, the heel. I don't see it as a matter of honesty or dishonesty, but more of the kind of filter Mr. O'Neill passed information through and what might or might not make it through. Still, it's a worthwhile read: even though it weighs in at more than 350 pages, it is a fast and compelling read. More importantly, if even half of the convincing anecdotes -- about juggling budget numbers in national addresses, of disregarding evidence that would make war in Iraq more difficult to justify, of the way the Grand Old Party has been hijacked by its most Machiavellian wing -- are true, then there is a lot we should be worrying about. And though the White House has cast Mr. O'Neill's views as sour grapes from the highest level figure to have left the administration to date, there is little reason to doubt the statements and archives of a man who has been known for the occasional verbal gaffe and a lack of peripheral vision, but not for a lack of integrity.
Rating:
Summary: Bush is King!
Review: A king is omniscient and guided by divine connection. Questioning the king is absurd, heretical and worthy of condemnation. It is always correct to find means to support the king's objectives. I know, you may be skeptical . All it takes is faith. Your life will be a lot easier if you don't bother looking for the details. Rest assured that God speaks through Bush. This explains why he doesn't need to read memos or briefs. God directs him. I was skeptical until I heard his father speak in January of 2003 in Las Vegas when President Bush 41 stated that he knows nobody that God speaks through more clearly than his son, our "president" President 43. If you have ever listened to Bush and heard a vacuous echo , as if he only has a few statements that he can repeat again and again and that he isn't really thinking for himself, then you are listening too closely. This book will illustrate the process that Bush uses to prepare his strategic platforms. It may be different from how you think. As another reviewer points out, Bush is breaking new ground so his thinking shouldn't be compared to previous presidents. This reviewer is right. Bush is not a president, leading through informed council-he is our countries first king, leading through divine guidance. God speaks through Bush. Okay, this may take the leap of faith that God is not in the details, not in nature and not in the cleanliness of integrity. Here's the key: God is in the Godlike power of modern industrialists who tell Bush that what he is doing is correct. My qualm with this book is that it is speaking to the converted, readers-people who respect facts and seek details in order to make informed decisions. We readers are surrounded by a confederacy of dunces. The leader of this confederation is somebody who can bond with their fun energy. This book fails miserably at bonding with this fun energy. Instead, this book illustrates the process Bush uses to ignore those that disagree with his corporately fabricated perspective. If this book is a fabrication, the participants should be arrested for conspiring to dethrone the spoken integrity of our king. I suggest getting the book on CD. Reading all these facts isn't much fun: it disrupts the blissful acceptance that what Bush says is Truth.
Rating:
Summary: On Day 10: Bush Targets Iraq
Review: Suskind's rendering of Mr. Paul O'Neill's tenure as Secretary of the Treasury is truly eye opening. O'Neill was on the National Security Council as the Treasury Secretary and also had unusual access to the President, in his position. O'Neill's background as a Federal Employee for many areas of the government, including Dir. of the OMB, gave O'Neill a truly unique ability to size up the economy very quickly. In addition, a 30 year friendship with Federal Reserve Chairman Greenspan offered a unique opportunity to both Greenspan and O'Neill, of being able to work together to really make things happen. O'Neill, who had a personal net worth of about $200 million after finishing his 13 years with Alcoa Aluminum, had vast and broad experience in the world of real business too, not just public finance. So, he was excited about the situation and while he had a lot of reservations about accepting the job, he took it. The book tells an amazing story of a President that had little or no real interest in the economy. At first it seemed to O'Neill that it was unusual that the President did not ask him relevant questions about the economy. But then, O'Neill figured out, he just did not know what questions to ask. That he was grossly unprepared to be President of the United States, and that he did not seem to really be calling the shots. In the end, O'Neill, who tried to do wonderful things, was undercut by the ONLY 2 policies that the Bush administration really had, namely: 1) A big and immediate tax cut and 2) Get control of Iraq. Yes, in fact as early as the very first cabinet meeting, 10 days after Bush assumed the office, he announced those were his priorities. Nothing else really mattered, except maybe Cheney's energy policy. And so, the Bush '43 Presidency went blithely along, with no Foreign Policy to speak of, no Domestic Economic Policy, no real agenda, except to cut taxes and take out Iraq. The entire first third or so of the Administration was an effort to muster public support for a war, that they clearly were shown by intelligence briefs, did not have what they thought it had. As we know now, they had nothing. Finally, in December of 2003, President Bush fired Mr. O'Neill. Upon being asked to reflect upon his tenure, he was asked by the author, Ron Suskind what at this point could make a difference to help the resilient American economy recover. O'Neill answered, "Truth," he said, mostly to himself. "Just Truth." The book reveals an administration that is almost impossible to believe, but is true. If the machinations of Washington politics are of interest to you, this is the book to read.
Rating:
Summary: Read it
Review: The Prince of Loyalty should be read by everyone in America. What we liberals hate is that Bush lied about The War. He aslo lied about being a Vietnam veternarian. He should be Called The Prince of Lies, and not The PRince Of Loaylty!!!! LIAR!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Stunning Portrait
Review: I was fascinated by this book. Prior to reading it, I didn't know much about Paul O'Neill, the person. O'Neill is a man who is driven by the truth. He takes hard data and makes pragmatic decisions after analyzing it carefully. Unfortunately, this style clashes with the highly ideological Bush administration. From the beginning, O'Neill was shocked by the ignorance of the President. Bush never read the reports O'Neill sent and didn't even bother to read the newspapers (yes you may be better informed than the President). He only listed in a bored and disengaged way. In other word, the administration is adrift without a rudder. It's no wonder that lots of unfortunate decisions have been made. By reading this book, you can gain an inside view of what is happening inside the White House. You can see how this disfunctional administration is controlled by the political arm headed by Karl Rove and Dick Cheney, and how they viciously pursue their radical right agenda without much concern for the real world or hard facts. If you care about the future of America, you should pick this up before the election, so that you can make an informed choice.
Rating:
Summary: O'Neill hits the bulls-eye
Review: Paul O'Neill has scored a knockout punch to the Bush administration with this candid assessment of his nearly two years as Secretary of the Treasury. He confirms what many of us have long suspected...this White House crowd is secretive, manipulative and out of touch. The controlling nature of the Bush administration didn't then and I'm sure doesn't now allow free-thinkers like O'Neill. It mattered not that the secretary had a proven track record of accomplishment in the business world and a lifetime of experience working in government. The picture he paints is staggering and the results to which he steers us offer a grim future for the state of the economy and the style by which things operate at the White House. O'Neill often compares the current administration to two others that he had worked for previously....Nixon and Ford. High marks are given to each and O'Neill just shakes his head at the lack of interest and level of intelligence exhibited by George W. Bush. The fact that so many cabinet meetings were "scripted" adds another dimension to a White House that seems rife with sycophants. The service that Paul O'Neill has done in giving us this wonderful book is that it will be an eye-opener and a reinforcement to many. Prying open the door to get a peek inside the Oval Office means that the silence from within is no longer so hushed. O'Neill sheds light on a group of people who tend to march in lockstep and who view the world in terms of black and white. Thank you, Paul O'Neill!
Rating:
Summary: Good Book---Challenging but Worth It
Review: ***
I thought I would write this review to suggest who might enjoy this book. The Editorial Reviews above describe well the topic of this book. I am a bright but politically ignorant reader who found this book educational, enjoyable, and an extremely challenging read. There were many paragraphs I had to read multiple times in order to understand them---paragraphs about economics, governmental intricacies, and containing unfamiliar words (I kept a dictionary nearby and used it often). All of this work was worth it. The book provides an experience of how government works from the perspective of a powerful and intelligent man, Paul O'Neill, former Secretary of the Treasury under the current President Bush. I found his perspective unique and insightful, and the writing of Ron Suskind interesting, entertaining, and provocative. I had trouble putting the book down. The portrayl of President Bush is from the point of view of Paul O'Neill, just one man, but it is interesting nonetheless. I was disturbed and wondered how many other high-ranking governmental officials share his views. I think that just about anyone would enjoy this book. Bush-haters will love it because they will use O'Neill's perspective as evidence to justify their ingrained views. People who respect President Bush will enjoy it less, perhaps, but if you are like me (I like and respect President Bush but disagree with many of his positions) I think you will still find much that is enlightening in it. I felt privileged to be allowed into Paul O'Neill's head, to see how he thinks and views things, and to appreciate his apparent deep integrity. I probably am less likely to vote for Pres. Bush because of it, but it is one of just many criteria I will use to make my decision. The experience of reading this book was like being a fly on the wall of Paul O'Neill's office, in his hotel room, in his home with his wife, and as he walks and talks and meets with President Bush. I have to credit Ron Suskind's fine writing that delivered this experience. More sophisticated and politically aware readers will even enjoy this book more. But even those of us who have little exposure to our government will come away with something valuable, intellectually challenging, and be glad we purchased the book, even in hardback.
| 
