Rating: 
Summary: AUTHORITATIVE READING BY THIS AUTHOR
Review: A former advisor to President Clinton, George Stephanopoulos was a believer when he joined the Arkansas Democrat's campaign in 1991. It took him five years, a serious case of hives and increasing depression to become a nonbeliever. He had tolerated the "bimbo eruptions," midnight to dawn planning sessions, and psychological combat. Putting Washington politics and politicos behind him in 1996, Stephanopoulos resigned. As for Clinton, is there anyone who doesn't know what has happened to him?
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Inside Look
Review: An intelligent yet accessible look at life inside the White House and on the Clinton campaign trail.
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Summary: Life next to the Oval Office
Review: George Stephanopoulos certainly saw it all firsthand. A Rhodes Scholar who worked for the Dukakis campaign and for Richard Gephardt, Stephanopoulos joined Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign because Clinton seemed to have it all. As his time progressed and life in the White House became an exciting but difficult reality, depression and other problems set in. In this very in-depth book, Stephanopoulos gives the reader a view inside the Clinton White House that could only come from one with such close access. He writes of both the Clinton Administration's best and worst moments, and pulls no punches when they made mistakes. One particular highlight is his contentious and venemous relationship with former Clinton aide Dick Morris, whose ideas always seemed to conflict with Stephanopoulos. He also manages to present his story in a "just the facts" style; there's no coaching the reader to believe the author's own ideology, so readers of all political viewpoints can read it. If you are a fan of Bill Clinton, this book will remind you of what went both right and wrong. If you hate him, this may remind you of Clinton's worst attributes. Either way, All Too Human is an important study of life in the White House with all of both its positive and negative aspects.
Rating:
Summary: An Interesting Insiders Account
Review: George Stephanopoulos' "All Too Human" is a very interesting insider's account of the Clinton Presidency. The amount of spin that goes on in today's public life is astounding. Spin has always been there to one extent or another, but the amount of time expended on it from both sides boggles the mind.
Stephanopoulos gives a good account of the more liberal side of the Clinton story. He is often too critical of the President assuming that any move to the political center was a sell out for the sake of polls and not inspired by conviction. Clinton was elected and for several years had preached the gospel of pragmatism; activist government through practical means. He was a prophet of moving the Democratic Party closer to the political center. Above all he wanted to get things done. His is an honest accounting of a flawed person with great potential, and the frustrations of what might have been. Growing up just across the Arkansas state line in Missouri, I watched Clinton's rise on the local news since the early 80s. His convictions are very real and his political skills are amazing. His goal is to make progress and get things done.
This is a really good read however. I couldn't put the book down. Balance it with other views of the Clinton White House, but definately include it if you want to see things from all sides.
Rating:
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.
Rating: 
Summary: All too Mediocre...
Review: I had very high expectations for this book, and with a few exceptions, I was mostly disappointed. I probably made the mistake of reading Sidney Blumenthal's "The Clinton Wars" before I read this book. Blumenthal's tome is probably the best political book I have ever read - it's an excellent account and insider's view into President Clinton's second term, and his psyche. By contrast, this is an account of Clinton's first term that offers insights into the '92 election, Clinton's first four years, and the administration's early battles on gays in the military, the assault weapons ban, NAFTA, etc. My two chief criticisms of this book: 1. It describes none of these events thoroughly, and 2. It does not offer nearly enough perspective of President Clinton's thoughts and motives. Stephanopoulos seems to have written this book to stroke his ego - the writing seems very hurried. But hurried for what? This is just a guess, but perhaps Stephanopoulos wanted to rush this book out to press before his name was forgotten and Clinton was out of office? (The hard cover has a copyright of 1999.) Too often in this book, we get way too much George and not enough Bill. Let's face it - probably the majority of people who buy this book are doing so to gain insight into the Clinton presidency, not Stephanopoulos' career. The author also has an annoying habit of giving us his insecure thoughts and fears in italics during important events, arguments or crises. That's the mark of an immature writer. There are many examples throughout the book where a very important incident or at least one of memorable importance is merely glossed over, but I'll just offer one brief one here. During the '92 election, when the Clintons went on 60 Minutes in light of the Gennifer Flowers allegations, a memorable thing happened off camera that was later revealed in the media and aired on television. During the interview, a bank of klieg lights fell down, nearly hitting the Clintons. Without missing a beat, both Hillary and Bill proceeded with the memorable interview (when at one point, Hillary made the infamous "stand by your man" comment, of Tammy Wynette fame). Yet, Stephanopoulos had no comment on the lights falling, Clinton's composure, or Hillary's controversial comment, and according to him, he was IN THE ROOM during the interview! It would have been nice for the author to "put us in the room," in the middle of the action, and to give the reader his thoughts and those of the Clintons. To be fair, the book has some bright spots, too. Stephanopoulos gives readers some very good insight about the two government shutdowns during Clinton's showdown with the GOP Congress and Newt Gingrich. Clinton's budget battles and his reasoning behind his economic views are covered quite nicely. He also covers many other domestic issues well, which gives readers good insight into Clinton's goals and dreams during the early years of his presidency. For diehards wanting another look inside the Clinton presidency, I recommend the book. But, if you're looking for highly detailed, insightful accounts of Clinton's thoughts and actions during the '92 election and his first term, and not his feelings and actions toward George Stephanopoulos, I recommend looking elsewhere, like when Clinton releases his memoirs, and also Sidney Blumenthal's aforementioned book, "The Clinton Wars."
Rating:
Summary: Honest story of personal success, failure inside the beltway
Review: I think some readers and reviewers are missing the point of _All too Human_. In writing this memoir, Mr. Stephanopoulos is NOT attempting to give his audience an all-access look at the private lives of Bill and Hillary. He is offering us a look at HIS life and times (of which the Clintons, obviously, were an integral part) and he does so with candor and class. This tome is honest, forthright, and the author doesn't hedge on his true thoughts and opinions of his past situations, performance, peers, and boss (qualities many of the principles highlighted in the book are famous for not possessing). I praise his frank recounting of how he was working for himself as well as for the president and his agenda. Those who chide Stephanoulos for striving for personal success, and telling us how he pursued it, need to reevaluate their own career motives before they pass judgement. This book is strongly recommended to any young person eager to see what it takes to make it in DC politics and still have a conscience. And, as you read this, bear in mind that I'M A REPUBLICAN! Kudos to George for a job well done.
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Summary: An attention-getting, class act of political courage
Review: In a year painfully short of acts of political courage, George Stephanopoulos has provided one. Those reading this book for an "insider's" view of the Clinton White House will find one, but hopefully they will stay for a fascinating journey of self-discovery and growth. It is a rare thing when a public figure is this open, this honest, and this willing to share the hopes, pains, and dilemmas of being a public figure. The book caught, and held my attention. It will do the same for other readers no matter what viewpoints they bring to it. In a parallel that I'm sure was intended by the author, his title "All Too Human" applies to each of the individuals that share this story -- and of the electorate they hope to serve. It raises interesting questions for every voter. What do we expect, and what are we willing to accept from our politicians? How do our expectations mold the political process? Mr. Stephanopolous' book is the type of primary source material that historians in the future will salivate over. It's balanced, readable, and interesting. Let's hope this is not the last we will hear from him as an author.
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Summary: The Spin Doctor is in......
Review: It's an interesting book. Unfortunately the purpose of the book is to Spin his legacy. The title alone shows that he's putting some distance between he and the White House. He could have taken the high road on many occasions and advised the President to do the right thing, but power and celebrity were more important. Now he's spinning again. So what are we to believe? Like the President he writes things and expects us to just believe it and move on: "Even worse, we created a mess of our own when two midlevel White House staffers mistakenly obtained the FBI files of nine hundred Republicans from previous administrations" (pg. 416) How do you "mistakenly obtain" 900 of anything? I suppose they were all filed under the letter "R" for Republican and the staffers were just holding them until they could put them into alphabetic order by last name? In another example, referring to charges of sexual assualt as a "bimbo eruption" (pg. 55) he wants you to believe its all part of a right-wing conspiracy out to get the President. What makes these women "bimbos"? In the sad, sad end he claims to have been burned out. It's a testament to his ego and desire for power that he was able to keep a straight face for as long as he did. Just Spin Baby.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Inside Look
Review: This book says a lot about our governmental processes that suggests room for improvement. Most people will think about the book from a political, ethical or personal perspective, so I thought it would be helpful to consider the management lessons instead. As portrayed in All Too Human, the Clinton administration displayed many of the most significant forms of "stalled" thinking that delay human progress. For example, decisions were often made at the last minute or delayed for months, unnecessarily (deomonstrating the procrastination stall). A contributing factor was that everyone was allowed their say, time and time again, making for a hopeless bureaucratic stall. This tendency led to little time to decide what to say about the decision after it is made so a lot of miscommunications occur (creating communications stalls). The people in the White House often did not know how they were supposed to do their jobs (contributing to a misconception stall). They were also slow to understand that the voter anger that led to the Republican success in 1994 was something they were going to have to accommodate (the result of a disbelief stall). Further, the administration did not want anyone to look too closely at controversial areas about the Clinton's past dealings (an ugly duckling stall that affected the credibility of those who defended actions that later turned out to be different than initially portrayed). Two centuries of government had also developed a lot of precedent that made lawyers and poltical advisors limit the President's choices (exhibiting the tradition stall). Perhaps the most significant lesson is that the administration was slow to perceive that creating good processes for managing government is important. This seems related to the inexperience of many with government at the national level, and the extreme talent of the people at the top who felt confident that they could "wing it" successfully. The good news is that beginning with Leon Panetta's appointment, the White House has been learning to put more stock in management processes. One lesson of All Too Human is that humans can learn, improve by learning from their mistakes, and go on to make great progress. That seems to have begun to happen before Mr. S. left the White House. With Robert Rubin at Treasury, we saw the contrast of a well-functioning management process. With better government processes (to elect and to govern), we can hope for an even brighter tomorrow. Every serious person who wants to learn how to manage better (and citizen who wants to mprove our country) MUST READ THIS BOOK. This is especially timely as we enter the next presidential election campaign. I hope the candidates are asked early and often about how they will improve on the management processes described in this book. May the best process improver win!
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