Rating: 
Summary: A room with a view
Review: Too often for my tastes, knowledge about politics or officials - for most - comes in the form of media soundbites. My appreciation for material and experiences as described by Gergen is second to none, and we could certainly use more fair-minded and balanced assessments such as those he provided about the Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton administrations in which he served.Gergen succeeded in detailing the weaknesses and strengths of each president, the nuances of working with cabinet and staff towards implementing policy, and the sometimes harrowing walk between principle and what is "effective". Read it, and add to the wave of those who really care about how the world and nation's leaders get it done.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: Undoubtedly, David Gergen has a unique perspective. Very few men in history have been privy to the private world of Chief Executives as disparate as Clinton and Reagan. Gergen took the opportunity this situation presented him with and turned it into a thoroughly engrossing book. His observations are keen. There is something of the "tell-all" to this book but it is by no means a tabloid. Gergen provides thoughtful analysis of the administrations he served under, as well as new information. I was given this book as a gift and read it in a matter of hours. I was sorry to finish it. The book promises an eyewitness account and it delivers. Having read this it is easier to understand why some presidencies failed and others succeeded.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: Undoubtedly, David Gergen has a unique perspective. Very few men in history have been privy to the private world of Chief Executives as disparate as Clinton and Reagan. Gergen took the opportunity this situation presented him with and turned it into a thoroughly engrossing book. His observations are keen. There is something of the "tell-all" to this book but it is by no means a tabloid. Gergen provides thoughtful analysis of the administrations he served under, as well as new information. I was given this book as a gift and read it in a matter of hours. I was sorry to finish it. The book promises an eyewitness account and it delivers. Having read this it is easier to understand why some presidencies failed and others succeeded.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent read, but could be much better...
Review: Uneven...Most people (based on the reviews I've read) seem to like this book and it's not bad, but I found myself liking the parts that just told the story of that particular administration and wanting Gergen to continue to tell the inside story of the Presidents that he served, not an analysis of "leadership" from a person that doesn't really seem qualified to make that assesment. This book was interesting to me only when history was being re-counted by this administration insider with the psycho-analysis of Presidents like Nixon and Clinton better presented elsewhere (Haldeman's "Ends of Power" for Nixon or Stephanopolous's "All too Human" for Clinton). Read it for the history and not for a "leadership" analysis.
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