Rating: 
Summary: Have we lost our country to special interests?
Review: This is a must-read for all American citizens before we go to the polls in November. What I took away with me after reading this book is that you and I, average citizens, have no clout, no influence on the policies of the Bush Administration. Bush listens only to his base: the religious right and the corporate bosses. Policies are implemented based entirely on what the base wants and have nothing to do with thoughtful evaluation of the facts. For example, the astonishing $1.3 trillion tax cut was implemented without talking to the Treasury Dept. No input whatsoever. That's hard to imagine, but this book is filled with similar revelations. This is not one to miss.
Rating: 
Summary: This book [is bad]!
Review: Kevin Phillips needs to give it up, reflect on his past with Tricky Dicky Nixon and remember a time when his books actually sold and didn't just have a fake high rating perpetrated by some shill who sits in front of his pc all day, writing stupid reviews and then hitting helpful on his own five star reviews and unhelpful on anybody who tells the truth about this garbage and gives it a 1 star.Phillips, you owe me a star. 1 star is too much for this garbage.
Rating:
Summary: I never thought of O'Niel as a fool
Review: Actually, just thought he was very ineffective at his job...untill I read this worthless tome. Now I know he is a fool. And still was ineffective at his job. He should thank Bush for keeping him as long as he did. Perhaps O'Niel can get a job as a janitor at the White House. He definitely has no career as a writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Insider Exposes His Own Flaws
Review: Mr. O'Neill now wishes to distance himself from his own book. Suskind continues to say it is "our" book when we know he took the internal memoranda and fictionalized the situation to fit his needs to sell a book. Lawence Lindsay and others in Wall St Journal op-ed pieces have said the although Mr. O'Neill is a nice guy, he did NOT understand the vast DIFFERENCE between policy development and the ministerial functions of a department head. Mr. O'Neill has told us more about himself than the Bush Administration. He was a poor fit for the job and being fired does not sit well with big egos. I hope he enjoys more trips with Bono. They have a future together.
Rating:
Summary: Why is anybody surprised?
Review: Given his disastrous governorship and his bumbling persona on the presidential campaign and in the White House, Bush 43's incompetence as POTUS should come as no surprise. This book merely confirms what anyone with half a brain should have anticipated from the beginning of Bush's introduction to the public. WOULD SOMEONE, ANYONE, WHO HAS A COGENT, RATIONAL BASIS ON WHICH TO DISAGREE WITH O'NEIL'S OBSERVATIONS PLEASE SPEAK UP? Like O'Neil, I believe that rational debate, as opposed to the chanting of ideological mantras, is the best route towards effective policy. These Amazon reviews, replete with GOP critics who obviously have not read the book and can barely spell, are an illustration of this truism. As for entertainment value, I highly recommend the book. I had a hard time putting it down and finished the last three-quarters of it at about 2 in the morning.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent read
Review: Paul O'Neill, veteran Washington insider and corporate exec learns the hard way that most of the Bush administration is uninterested in following rational policy, Wonderfully written by Ron Suskind. This book will fill in many of the blanks for anyone interested in what's been happening to our government.
Rating:
Summary: A rare event: better even than the news coverage
Review: Usually when I read a book that has gotten this much press, I find that the press coverage had all the good parts. This book is an exception, and exceptional. It is fascinating, and terrifying, and a great read. I already hated the Bush White House, but reading about how it functions like a dysfunctional corporation was truly eye-opening.
Rating: 
Summary: WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?
Review: I've read this book. I'm not going to write a 1000 page critique of this. The book is well written and gives someone the inside scoop of what is going on in the Bush administration AS HE SEES IT IN HIS OWN REALITY. If you are a Bush hater, this is a brilliant account of a diseased administration. Also, this man would be your hero. If you are a Bush lover, this is a deluded account of a man that was fired by this administration for incompetance and stupidity. He is a traitor and a classless fool to the Bush supporters. That is specifically why this book is more of a novel than fact. How do you know that his account is accurate. You don't. How do you know his account is a fantasy. You don't. I would read the book, and I'm glad I bought it, because it is an election year, and this book will be remembered as a part of the folklore of this country, but as far as using it as a benchmark for an historical record of this administration, this is better classified as a novel.
Rating:
Summary: Gets you mad
Review: This is another one of those books that makes you upset if you read it. I mean, can this stuff be true? Read the part about the reasons we went to the war in Iraq! OK, I'm not an expert to say what actually happened or not, but if this is true I think certain people (initials GWB) should be in big trouble! As and American I hope sucha terrible set of accusations cannot be true.But I don't know, Paul O'Niel has no reason to lie.
Rating:
Summary: An Important Book
Review: This book provides riveting descriptions of how decisions are made in the Bush White House. It effectively illustrates the dangers of letting politics take precedence over good policy. It shows the dangers of having a president that lacks the intellectual curiosity to be a good leader. The book describes concrete examples of how the catering to special interest groups is removing all debate, all intellect, and, as a result -- all of the public interest out of the policy-making process. And it is all backed up by the reality of the bad policy and soaring deficits we see today. After reading the book there was no doubt in my mind Mr. O'Neill's motivations were not sour grapes. That is not his M.O.. Instead it seemed very clear to me he simply went above the fray, above the partisianship, and told the truth. Something so rare today that it can't be seen for what it is. Thank you Mr. O'Neill. You've done a great service to your country.
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