Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Price of Loyalty : George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neill by Ron Suskind, Edward Herrmann ISBN: 0-7435-3651-7 Publisher: Audioworks Pub. Date: 13 January, 2004 Format: Audio CD Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.23 (275 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Good information, but one-sided.
Comment: This book paints a disturbing picture of the Bush White House. That is, an administration that pursues an agenda based on what it wishes were true rather than one that assesses real problems and tries to find real solutions. The downside of this methodology is obvious and specific problems that arise from it are covered in the book.
The main problem with the book is that it is clearly written from one man's point of view. The man, Paul O'Neill, did have significant access to the George W. and the rest of the Bush Administration. That being the case, it seems that his point of view is of value and should be considered. However, it is important to note that the book paints it's main subject (O'Neill) in a very positive light which should signal to the discerning reader to remain skeptical about some of the facts contained within. It often seems tha the book's aim is not to show an accurate picture opf the whitehouse, but to vindicate the performance of O'Neill.
Overall, I am glad to have heard O'Neill's side of the story, but I would caution against thinking it is the whole story.
Rating: 5
Summary: Pablo's Truth Telling about W and the Mayberry Machiavellis
Comment: 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 Karl Rove tells 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: 3
Summary: Scathing, if not completely satisfying
Comment: The disappointing thing about Ron Suskind's book "The Price Loyalty", which chronicles ousted Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill's stormy tenure in the Bush Administration, is that it doesn't provide a smoking gun that pulls back the curtain on all the misdeeds and duplicity of this current presidential administration. That being said, it still may be a 'hot knife', as it still shows a frightening look as the inner workings of Bush's top men. It's frightening to read accounts of powerful and dangerous cabinet men (like Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft, and Don Rumsfeld) make power plays in front of a 'leader' (using that term loosely) in George W. Bush who seems passive, indifferent, and perhaps even incompetent.
"Price of Loyalty", which Suskind compiled based on interviews with Paul O'Neill and documents provided by O'Neill is one part biography of O'Neill's term as the Treasury Secretary and one part revelation of the puppet regime of Bush. It's a puppet regime in the sense that the puppet is the president and the puppet-masters are forceful people like the big three mentioned above. The book chronicles the planning stages of the economic policy that O'Neill (in coordination with friend and Fed Chaiman, Alan Greenspan) wanted to effect to help stabilize a weak, and soon to be collapsing, economy. It chronicles how the Bush Administration was minorly supportive at first, then indifferent, and then downright opposed to O'Neill's plans to shore up what he perceived (and was later proved) to be a weakening economy. It shows an administration that demand strict adherence and blind loyalty to its views and harshly punished those who didn't toe the line or spoke out against it. O'Neill's fate was the most telling example.
"The Price of Loyalty" demonstrates a frightening method to how our current executive administration runs. While it lacks the strong bite that such a book could carry, it still gives the reader cause to be concerned over the direction this administration is taking us and forces one to re-evaluate whether or not we want another four years of this.
 |
Title: Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror by Richard A. Clarke ISBN: 0743260244 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 22 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $27.00 |
 |
Title: American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush by Kevin Phillips ISBN: 0670032646 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: 01 January, 2004 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
 |
Title: Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right by Al Franken ISBN: 0525947647 Publisher: E P Dutton Pub. Date: 29 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
 |
Title: Plan of Attack by Bob Woodward ISBN: 074325547X Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 19 April, 2004 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
 |
Title: Worse Than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush by John W. Dean ISBN: 031600023X Publisher: Little Brown & Company Pub. Date: April, 2004 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
