Rating: 
Summary: Over Time, an Invisible Treasury Secretary
Review: Whose loyalty to whom and/or what? What is the "price"? How was it determined and by whom? The subtitle evokes another question: While obtaining his "education" during his 23 months as Secretary of the Treasury in the current Bush administration, what did Paul O'Neill learn? After research which involved 19,000 documents and hundreds of interviews, Suskind responds to these and other questions throughout the 349 pages which comprise his book. Of course, O'Neill is the focal point but much (most?) of the controversy about this book is a result of Suskind's portrayal of President Bush, in large measure based on O'Neill's comments about him. For example, O'Neill's most widely quoted observation that, during various meetings, President Bush was "was like a blind man in a roomful of deaf people." Here's another: "I wondered from the first, if the President didn't know the questions to ask or if he did know and just not want to know the answers? Or did his strategy somehow involve never showing what he thought? But you can ask questions, gather information and not necessarily show your hand. It was strange." To me, stranger yet is what the book suggests about Vice President Cheney, a close personal friend of O'Neill's for several decades who was primarily responsible for his appointment as Secretary of the Treasury. About two years later, Cheney informed him that the President "has decided to make some changes in the economic team. And you're part of the change." When Cheney then asked O'Neill to claim that it was his decision to leave public service, he refused. "I'm too old to be telling lies now." If the President Bush plays his cards close to the vest, the Vice President seems to keep his locked up in an undisclosed location. In decades to come, historians may well judge Richard Cheney to be his nation's most enigmatic as well as most influential Vice President. "We thought we knew Dick," O'Neill observes. "But did we?" Does anyone? In this book, Suskind seems to take O'Neill at his word, that what O'Neill expressed to him is what he sincerely believes is true when commenting on various people and his relationships with them. Others are far better qualified than I to separate fact from opinion, to separate O'Neill's perceptions from the realities of his tenure. Obviously, O'Neill deeply resents what he views as mistreatment of him while Secretary of the Treasury; he also seems to lament even more his inability to influence the process by which issues were discussed and by which policies were formulated in the Bush administration. He characterizes cabinet-level debates as "incestuous amplification," driven more by self-serving expediencies than by principles. Frankly, I do not know how much to believe of O'Neill's account even as I welcome it as another source of information, commentary, and evaluation of the current Bush administration as our nation proceeds into an uncertain, indeed perilous future.
Rating: 
Summary: On the absence of transparency
Review: Although many Amazon reviewers focus on O'Neill's inability to remain objective in describing his experience on the Cabinet, this critique fails to recognize a significant message : that the Administration's process for determining policy has such little transparency that even top-level insiders are excluded. The near non-existant role debate played in policy formation is a frightening way for a government to run itself. The absence of dialogue is rarely a successful method for solving difficult problems. According to O'Neill's testimony, the cabinet meetings intended to create such debate were generally scripted while often times the real decisions were made prior such "debates". It may be the case that O'Neill quickly found himself outside the inner-circle dictating policy and was therefore never exposed to the process involved in its creation. However, this retort only misses the point. The Secretary of Treasury OUGHT to be included in at least some of these policy discussions. The attack is not that the Bush administration uses no process at all. Only that this process is kept hidden from nearly everyone. It means there less opportunity to be persuaded away from idealogy and more opportunity for mistakes. At the least, this book is important for a providing a glimpse into just how tightly Bush's inner circle surrounds him.
Rating:
Summary: Well written and important but disturbing
Review: Paul O'Neill has had a remarkable, exemplary career. From humble beginnings, the modern equivalent of a log cabin, O'Neill rose to help create the OMB under several administrations; from there he went on to become one of the finest corporate CEOs in America, which he gave up to become George W. Bush's first Treasury Secretary. We should all of us hope for a career with half this level of success ... so what such a man has to say is important and interesting. Perhaps it's to harsh to put it quite this way, but it seems that a large part of this book is the story of O'Neill conspiring with his old friend Alan Greenspan to subvert the tax cut plan that came out of the presidential campaign. The desire on the part of the Treasury Secretary to influence economic policy is not controversial but the approach as described seems unusual to say the least: petulant, passive-aggressive behavior. Another of O'Neil's themes is that the inner circle of the administration (of which O'Neil was not a part) had already made its mind up on a number of subjects - including the tax cuts - and the subterfuge was carried out in frustration with not being heard, but it is disturbing to think that the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States of America would either be forced into such a position or that he would stoop to such behavior as a response. In fact, reading this book produces a very broad based sense of unease. On the one hand, O'Neil describes an administration that operates entirely on a preconceived, purely politically-motivated basis, completely lacking in intellectual curiosity or integrity (the famous quote about a blind man in a room full of deaf people and the claim that Iraq and tax cuts were the administration's exclusive focus from the very beginning). On the other hand, this is the Treasury Secretary that maneuvered to propose a tax rebate to Congress without even informing his boss, to say nothing of getting his agreement; and the story of trekking through Africa in wingtips with a rock star is an odd, comic twist on TR. What are we to make of this? Even though this book seems to confirm a number of the unflattering press descriptions of the administration's behavior, it undermines its own credibility. Furthermore, there's a big part of me that simply does not want to believe that the United States of America is so badly managed. Not from any partisan consideration but simply as a proud and concerned citizen. The book is very well written and easy to read, plus it is an interesting description of a very important subject, namely the still-evolving story of early 21st century America in a changing and difficult world.
Rating:
Summary: Pablo's Truth Telling about W and the Mayberry Machiavellis
Review: In spite of my whimsical review title, I believe this is a very, very important book that every voter in the country should read. O'Neill is the first guy who's left the administration and is "old enough and rich enough" to tell the truth about how the current adminstration operates. I think most of us who voted for W last time did not expect him to be smart or hard working - after all, he had no history of success at anything other than being the son of President Bush 41. But, I do think we expected him to surround himself with wise counsel, listen carefully to their analysis and advice, lead his team to a consensus on the best path and then act. As this book makes crystal clear, Bush is just a dim, lazy leader who does what Cheney and Karl Rove tell him to do. Having spewed that venom, I will say that through much of this book I found myself irritated with O'Neill. It seems like he took the job of Treasury Secretary more to feed his own ego than any other reason. Yes, I believe he's interested in doing good, but could he really be so naive as to take this job so quickly without more due diligence on his role and how things would work? And after he clearly saw what a screwed up operation he was part of ("kids rolling around on the lawn" reference), why didn't he take a policy stand then when he had some real political capital to spend and make some hay with? My guess is that he wishes he had done both of those things, but since he didn't, writing this book was one thing he could still do. And, I got back on his side based on the way he handled his firing. I do believe he's a "truth teller" and the truth is that this administration is run by ideologues named Rove and Cheney who have a powerful toy named W who does what they tell him to and pronounces it to be leadership instead of puppetry. O'Neill's book gets me to this point by explaining how ideas and analysis and debate are not part of this administration's operation. Cabinet secretaries have roles to play and lines to read, but they aren't supposed to nay say about anything the Mayberry Machiavellis have already told W to do. If they dissent, they aren't team players and they will be trashed in the press and eventually "resigned". With no analysis and little experience or smarts, is it any wonder W makes so many dumb mistakes? I think not. If you want to learn some important things, read this book. If you prefer to lazily continue to think W's doing the job right, keep on snoozing. After all, he is.
Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: No matter what your political persuasion, unless you are an absolute diehard fan of Cheney/Bush, or Bush/Cheney, you
will learn a lot from this book. In the first place, it's a great
(not dry) primer on macroeconomics, at least as concerns the Department of Treasury. But it's also, and mostly, an
insider's look at how the Bush administration functions and
who actually are the power players. A great book about missed opportunitites (i.e. social security reform) torpedoed
because of ignorance, incompetence and above all a rigid
commitment to ideology. I know, some will criticize the book because of O'Neil himself. There is a self-righteousness that permeates the book, and author Suskind rarely takes O'Neil to task for anything. But at the same time, the overriding amount of evidence supports what the book says. And oh yes, one has to wonder why in the course of the first term, Bush removed two of the three strong moderate voices in his cabinet: O'Neil and Whitman, replacing them with "yes men". And the third moderate, Colin Powell, was undercut from day one.
Anyone who thinks Vice-President Cheney isn't the real power player in this Administration needs to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Should be read by everyone in America.
Review: The excellent work, 'Prince of Loyalty' should be read by everyone in America. What we independents hate is that Bush lied over and over and over about the Iraqi threat and The War. He also lied about his military record and even here in Austin it is well known his 'friends' cleaned up his military records while he was governor of Texas. This book should be titled 'The Prince of Liars', and not 'The Price Of Loyalty' !!!! By reading this book, you can gain an inside view of what is happening inside the White House. You can see how this dysfunctional 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. God save us from the power broker politicians and their hidden agendas. On a lighter note, if you are open minded and looking for those books begging for its pages to be turned...look no further. I just read a copy of Edgar Fouche's 'Alien Rapture,' which also blew me away. Fouche was a Top Secret Black Program 'insider', whose credibility has been verified over and over. Another fun book is Brad Steiger's 'Werewolf.' I also really liked Dan Brown's 'Deception Point,; and 'Angels and Demons.' Want to be shocked, check out Dr. Paul Hill's 'Unconventional Flying Objects' which N-NASA tried to ban, and always read the Amazon reviews.
Rating:
Summary: Astonishing book - and remember, O'Neill is a Republican!
Review: This is not another Bush-bashing book put forth by a left winger. O'Neill served under Nixon, Ford, and the first George Bush, and was CEO of Alcoa. He was in favor of tax cuts. In his own words, he was a "pragmatist". He was truly excited about serving his country and the chance to make a difference. In my view, this makes him all the more credible as a critic of President George W. Bush. You will be able to relate to O'Neill's point of view if you have ever worked for an incompetent boss. I found the book absolutely gripping and couldn't put it down. I would recommend it to anyone, regardless of his/her political leanings.
Rating:
Summary: Don't miss this one
Review: A book that is chilling in its explanation of the power structures that make up the political landscape around us. The author is expert at drawing the reader towards a deeper understanding of "how things work"--and it's scary. How many more people within this administration would like to co-opt the Constitution for their own greedy purposes? I've been immersed in political media lately and I'm starting to feel overwhelmed. I've read this book, House Of Bush House of Saud, watched a fantastic, unusual DVD called USA the Movie (you can get it at manticeye.com) which immersed me in the times we live in, watched Fog Of War (through Amazon) which made me depressed and now I obsessively peruse political websites. I think it's time to take a break except there's too much at stake now as the election approaches.
Rating:
Summary: Puppetmasters revealed
Review: For the cognoscenti, the disclosure of a Presidency controlled by Rove, Cheney, Hubbard, and Lindsay should come as no surprise. Considering Cheney was frequently ranked one of the most conservative members of the Senate, O'Neill's complaint of ideology winning over rational analysis almost sounds naive. But once you get past the laments of a man who chose power over common sense, this book offers a brutally honest view of the current Administration. Perhaps the greatest contribution of this book is the details of O'Neill's friendship with Greenspan. It helped me appreciate the enigmatic Chairman as a passionate fiscal conservative. I was pleasantly surprised at how the book laid out the thought processes behind the actions of the two most powerful unelected bureaucrats in America. Unfortunately, the rigorous economic analysis that O¡¦Neill espouses was ignored on several occasions. The impact of the capital gains tax cut was glossed over, as was the elimination of the estate tax. Keynesian economics as a rationale for fiscal policy was almost completely ignored. I recommend this book to everyone who is willing to look past Suskind's politics. There will be people who choose to hear only the negatives of the Administration, and those who are offended by his attack on the holy grail of supply side economics. That is their choice. What you get out of it will depend on whether or not you paid attention in economics class.
Rating:
Summary: This book surprised me on two accounts
Review: I picked this book up mainly to gain insight on the workings of the current administration. And this book does have plenty of insights to give, as other people have detailed already in their reviews (it's amazing the polarization of the White House, Rove/Cheney vs O'Neil/Greenspan/Powell). The two things that I unexpectedly ran into was a) an admiration for O'Neil, and b) a glimpse of the real Alan Greenspan. Going into the story I had no interest really in learning who O'Neil was and how he thought - I simply wanted to know what had been done to him and how Bush, Cheney, and Rove operated and thought. Coming out of the story, I had a huge respect for O'Neil and interest in his future life's work. This is a clearly man to be respected and looked to as a role model in today's business world. Obviously given that O'Neil is narrating this tale to Suskind the portrayal of himself is going to be a positive one. That being said, the man's principles that he lays out in the books are almost moving in their dedication. Especially in today's political arena that focuses more on "winning" than analyzing reality.
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