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Summary: An anatomy of power politics
Review: In "All Too Human," George Stephanopoulos writes about his five years with Bill Clinton, one campaigning and four governing. In this well written book, the reader becomes acquainted not only with Mr. Stephanopoulos' reflections, but also with basic facts about life in the West Wing. The greatest asset of the book is Mr. Stephanopoulos' candor: he does not shy away from criticizing himself and others. Occasionally, he breaks off from the narrative and shares his inner thoughts; those injections add new dimensions to the story, making the book more interesting and enjoyable. "All Too Human" is truly, as the book's subheading claims, "a political education." First, the wealth of experience contained in these pages is, in and of itself, valuable. Mr. Stephanopoulos has chosen to pick certain evens and discuss them in detail; in doing so, he has compiled a useful handbook for political operatives. Second, "All Too Human" sheds light into what really happens in the White House: if one asked, "what is it like to work for a president?" they could easily turn to "All Too Human" for an answer. The truth is that political aides often deal with auxiliary topics (in President Clinton's case, sexual and legal scandals); Mr. Stephanopoulos interweaves the discussion of the president's political agenda with those auxiliary issues. Mr. Stephanopoulos has written more than his experiences in the White House; he has written about what working in the White House did to him: the stress, the dilemmas and the obsession with power. Those interested in politics should give "All Too Human" a careful read.
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Summary: Wow!
Review: I found this book to be an incredibly interesting, honest, and insightful look at what goes on behind the scenes in Washington. Instead of getting bogged down in long, boring details, it is a fun, quick read.
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Summary: Who is all too human, Bill or George?
Review: An important companion to the recent wave of Clinton era memoirs.
Stephanopoulos writes a surprisingly even-handed appraisal of his recollections of the years he spent in the Clinton White House. There are revelations about himself and Clinton, but the entire picture post-read is more of a documentation of an experience than an expose (thankfully) Perhaps because I already knew of Clinton's sins before reading this, the end result was a slight distaste for the author and how he conducted himself at the break of the Monica story.
The tales here are indeed of humans with very understandable emotions and reactions to events that will scar American History forever. We will forget about a man's sexual indiscretions, but never forget the hundreds of millions of dollars that hateful and un-patriotic Republicans spent to prove to America that Clinton had trouble keeping his zipper up. Never forget the shameful proceedings of impeachment hearings, which weakened the entire American Government. If a president may be impeached for a lie (about his personal life-no less), than every President in our history merits impeachment.
This is a valuable perspective accounting that should be read with an open mind. Even though I am obviously a Clinton Democrat-what a leader will do and often must do to gain re-election merits a re-evaluation of our current political system.
So I thank you George for valuable insight with surprising humility.
Indeed our leaders are just humans, flawed humans-and anyone Democrat or Republican who is without flaw is hereby invited to present criticism of personal errors. Or to coin a phrase, "Those in Glass houses, shouldn't throw stones..."
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Summary: all too human
Review: george stephanopoulos potrays bill clinton as a human being on top of being one of the most controversial presidents in the american history. he takes an objective look at the person he got to know so well while being his personal advisor in his campaign as well as the period of his presidency
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Summary: I wonder what the Clintons thought?
Review: I enjoyed this book a lot, or at least the first half. Stephanopoulos pulled me in from the beginning and took me on a ride through the hectic year of Bill Clinton's first campaign for the Presidency. The first few years Stephanopoulos worked in the White House as an advisor to President Clinton also captivated me. And then the book got boring. It wasn't that the events of the first four years of Clinton's term were boring, but the second half of the book just failed to hold my attention as strong as the first half did. Maybe the book was longer than necessary? I don't know, but the one thing I kept asking myself while reading this book is this: What did the Clintons (and other people the book named who had worked closely with the President) think when this book was published a few years ago? Don't get me wrong, the author had a lot of nice things to say. But at times he also had some not so nice things to say. But that, I guess, comes with the job. Anyone willing to work for a public official (especially one as powerful as the president of the United States) must be ready to accept public criticism and embarassment. Overall, though, I liked this book. Stephanopoulos said something at the beginning of the book that I thought summed up the experience of working with a U.S. president. He said that while on the road campaigning or traveling everything he must know was either "in his mind, in his pocket (on paper, of course), or not more than a phone call away." That, I thought, is why successful people are successful. It's not always their brilliance. Sometimes success comes simply through connections.
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Summary: Very Honest and Interesting
Review: Stephanopoulos holds little back in his account of the Clinton White House during Slick Willy's first term. He writes about the campaign, the trouble that Clinton could get himself into, and the trouble a President haves with a split White House staff. This is a great look at the behind the scenes work of a chief political advisor to a corrupt president. He writes of the relationship between Dick Morris, Clinton, and himself and the constant conflict that arose between what seemed to be two completely different white house staffs. Ultiamtely though this book is about how his feelings of pride and hope were lost in a President with all the potential in the world because he couldn't control his private life.
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Summary: excellent read
Review: George Stephanopoulos shows a humble and human side to a man that might have become arrogant and condescending. George brings his audience through his life as a Clinton aid and gives a little bit of info about his life before the White House. This book is great for anyone interested in politics because it really makes you think differently when you watch news for the "spin" on what's going on in the world of politics.
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Summary: My Big Fat Greek Bad Timing
Review: His critics have said that Bill Clinton regrets the absence of a major crisis during his presidency to enhance his legacy. It is my sense that George Stephanopoulos feels something of the same, having entered politics to become the next Kenny O'Donnell or Jack Valenti. Alas for the author, there was no missile crisis or Viet Nam War on his watch. The White House is viewed in a much different light since 9-11 and the prospect of major conflict with Iraq and possibly North Korea. In retrospect, rubbing elbows with the Clintons, Leon Panetta, and even occasionally with Monica Lewinski, now seems like small potatoes. This is hardly the author's fault, but events since publication in 1999 have served to trivialize life in the Clinton West Wing. What is left is an interesting memoir but absent the gravitas it was once meant to convey. Time and circumstances notwithstanding, "All Too Human" is still a fascinating read. Stephanopoulos served as senior advisor to Bill Clinton during the 1992 presidential primary and election, and during the first term of the Clinton presidency. He does provide interesting vignettes, but often with a sense of insecurity and fear of exclusion that led him to eventually seek psychiatric help and leave the pressure of the executive branch. To his credit the author does not shrink from owning his voracious opportunism, nor does he take undue advantage of his intimacy with the Clintons to share titillating information with the reader, though in his closing remarks, he does confess to a sense of being duped by Clinton's later admissions. One gets the sense that having served his time in the heat of the kitchen, he was only mildly disappointed to get out of it.
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Summary: One of the best books I've read in a long time
Review: This book offers great insight into the working of the White House under the Clinton administration. From planes crashing into the White House Lawn to how Bill's "extra curricular activities" were dealt with, this book tell a good story. You can experience, almost first hand,the chaotic nature that a person in the President's inner circle is sure to experience. Worth the read - and a re-read after a while of being put back on the shelf. Definetly a keeper!
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Summary: One man's view but an amazing and enjoyable one
Review: A well paced and enjoyable behind the scenes read of the mind of George and the White House during his tenure.
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