Rating: 
Summary: Excellent insider view on the White House
Review: Ron Suskind, thanks to Paul O'Neil, has written an excellent book giving us much insight on the inner workings of the White House. Suskind is a former Wall Street Journal writer. And, it shows. The substance of the book is dense with information and documentation. But, the prose is lively and easy to read. According to the former Secretary of the Treasury, Bush and Cheney dominate the White House. Bush leads based on stubbornly held personal opinions, and Cheney executes the plans reflecting the President's opinions. Occasionally, Cheney feeds opinion to Bush when the latter has none to begin with. But, everyone else is just there to make a case for supporting these same opinions. Thus, most of the Presidential decisions are not well founded in objective intelligence. Within this managerial climate, there is no room for intellectual debates, exchange of information, or even consensus building. It is pretty much Bush and Cheney's ways or the highway. Paul O'Neil, an intelligent, assertive, and independent thinker, did not fit within these parameters, and Cheney quickly showed him the next highway exit. When Paul O'Neil was recruited as Secretary of the Treasury, he seemed to fit very well with the Administration. He fit perfectly the mold of the old guard intelligentia who had reached the top level in business, with also much government experience. He is definitely a conservative, pro business fellow. He seemed just another of the old boys. But, things did not turn out that way. Paul O'Neil, an independent thinker, ended up clashing at every turn with the Administration. He is a conservative. But, that does not mean he is a unilateralist in foreign policy. Thus, he felt highly uncomfortable with the lack of strong international support for our invading Iraq. On the domestic front, O'Neil felt very uncomfortable with the progressive dismantling of our strong fiscal position we had inherited from the Clinton White House. For him being conservative also means fiscally conservative. It does not mean unraveling the Federal government. O'Neil felt strongly that beyond the first tax cut that was necessary, the following rounds of tax cutes were dangerous as they created a rising structural budget deficit. Finally, with his strong background in business and economics, he felt that the steel tariffs were totally unjustified and would trigger a rise in trade conflicts and unfruitful WTO trade negotiations. If you objectively review O'Neil's positions, he is typically right. And, the Bush-Cheney team is not. Our level of unilateralism can easily be considered excessive. The rounds of tax cuts were much too deep and did create a rising structural deficit. Also, the steel tariffs did poison the WTO round at Cancun and the overall worldwide trading climate. Recently, under pressure of penalties from the WTO, Bush had to eliminate these same steel trade tariffs. The later did not achieve anything besides political embarrassment in the international arena. Interestingly enough, the Bush-Cheney team has chosen not to address any of the issues raised by O'Neil. But, instead they are conducting an investigation on potential government information leaks. This is probably another effort to shut O'Neil's mouth once and for all. But, the jack is out of the box. Take advantage of it. This is a must read during this Presidential election year. This book also nicely complements other related recent books such as Paul Krugman's 'The Great Unraveling' and David Cay Johnston 'Perfectly Legal.' Reading these three books will make you a much better informed voter regardless of your party's stripes.
Rating: 
Summary: There's more to it.
Review: People should read Bush at War of Bob Woodward and The Threatening Storm of Kenneth Pollack. It's puts all the juicy stories and quote's of Paul O'Neill in a much better perspective.
Then form an opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Get a grip, people.
Review: "People are trying to say that I said the president was planning war in Iraq early in the administration. Actually there was a continuation of work that had been going on in the Clinton administration with the notion that there needed to be a regime change in Iraq." --Paul O'Neill
January 12, 2004.
Rating:
Summary: This book paves the way for treason charges...
Review: Of course the treason by our highest officials for lying to the American people is what I am talking about. This book gives lots of evidence. Let's see if we are a nation of hypocrits: we were outraged when one president lied about sex - are we gonna be outraged when another lies about war? Some people here talk about the politics, republicans vs.democrats in this context. It's not about politics, it's really about crime! I am disapointed that O'Neill is backtracking now on what was obvious -- that this administration was obsessed with war and theft of Iraqi oil. [Perhaps he is getting death threats!] However, the book is great, well written by an award winning WSJ journalist, with plenty of docuements. An independent investigator should have an easy task! Suskind promised to put all the evidence on the web soon.
Rating:
Summary: REVIEW THE BOOK PLEASE....NOT THE CONTENT
Review: OK, HATE THE FACT WE ENTERED IRAQ, ARE ANY OF US SURPRISED-WHETHER RIGHT OR LEFT-THAT BUSH WANTED TO ATTACK IRAQ? NOOO!! WE ALL HAVE TO AGREE ON THAT. WHAT WE DISAGREE WITH IS WHETHER IT WAS THE THING TO DO... OK THE BOOK IS GOOD BUT CHOPPY AND GIVES SOMETIMES A HEATED ANGER-TAINTED REVIEW OF THE TIME THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE EVALUATING. OK, LET'S TAKE THAT IN STRIDE. JUST ANOTHER POLITICO BOOK....BY A STAUNCH REPUBLICAN TAKING THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE, AND GIVING FUEL TO THE CONSPIRACY THEORY FIRE! WHETHER YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE SHOULD NOT BE ON AN AMAZON REVIEW....
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: Finally, it is one of Bush's inner circle--former treasury secretary, former CEO of one of America's most conservative companies (ALCOA)-yelling "the emperor has no clothes". Now, will the sheeple finally wake up? Quote of the year so far regarding this book: Number of days between Novak column outing Valerie Plame and announcement of investigation: 74 days. Number of days between O'Neill 60 Minutes interview and announcement of investigation: 1 day. Having the administration reveal itself as a gaggle of hypocritical goons ... priceless. -- Josh Marshall
Rating: 
Summary: Operatives?
Review: How many of you guys below are RNC operatives? Your boy is on the ropes. Tough break.
Rating:
Summary: Out-Shouting the Right Wing
Review: Boy! Are the Neocons ever frightened of THIS book! But they should be. The Right Wing has enforced a code of secrecey over as many wings of government as possible so that they can loot the Treasury and inhibit the Constitution under the cloak of darkness. Now, one of their own casts a light on the inner workings of the White House and, unsurprisingly, they paint the very same picture those of us who actually work for a living have always understood about Mr. Bush and his advisors. The author, Mr. Susskind, has a proven track record and is a Pulitzer Prize winning author you can trust...unlike those who would treat us like the sheep they think we are.
Rating:
Summary: This is not news
Review: Right before we attacked Iraq, Frontline did a story on what lead us to that point. They showed a letter, to then President Clinton, authored by Wolfowitz, signed by Cheney, Rumsfeld and other current Bush II inner circle, oil company types, urging the President to attach Iraq. Clinton chose the nonpre-emptive position that the United States has rightly maintained. So this is not news. What is interesting is that not even Republicans like O'Neill were aware of how obsessed these individuals were regarding Iraq.
Rating:
Summary: Dubya Only Tells the Truth When He's Forced To
Review: From the Seattle P-I this morning-- "President Bush acknowledged for the first time yesterday that he was mapping preparations to topple Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein as soon as he took office. Bush's comments came in response to former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill's contention in a new book that the chief executive was gunning for Saddam nine months before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and two years before the U.S. invasion of Iraq." Get this guy out of office!!! Go Democrats!
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