Customer Reviews

The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neil

5 star:		(211)
4 star:		(69)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

What stuns me with all the one-star reviews is the fact that they so clearly haven't read the book. This book isn't about Paul O'Neill: it is about the blind dedication of people inside the Bush White House to policies that are determined by politics and not by data and information. O'Neill emerges as someone who carefully sifts information, takes a naturally conservative approach to issues, and does not like to recommend any policy that is based on speculation or insufficient evidence.

The book shows that a number of White House insiders or heads of government institutions (notably Alan Greenspan at the Fed) are not very comfortable with the ideologues currently running the White House. Lost in a lot of the attention that O'Neill is getting is the fact that other White House folk have also spoken off record. Reading the book--and I generally find it is easier to talk about something you have actually read instead of something you merely make up in your head--it is pretty certain that Alan Greenspan was also interviewed for the book and is one of those who spoke off the record. I would also bet that Christine Todd Whitman, former head of the EPA (another one who wanted policy to be based on verified data), was another. It is absolutely definite that either Colin Powell or several members of the State Department (unquestionably with his blessing) cooperated in the making of the book. Possibly other nonideologues like Condileeza Rice or one of her aides talked with Suskind.

The mistake that many are making is assuming that O'Neill is merely doing this out of revenge. It is almost impossible to support that theory after reading the book.

I think the is one of the most important books that has been published in the past two years on any subject. The Bush White House has largely been an impenetrable bastion. Now we have a vivid picture of the inner workings of the White House as presented by multiple insiders, most speaking off the record because they are still working for Bush. But O'Neill and the massive amount of documentation he provided for Suskind has performed a huge public service. I don't think anyone should consider voting for George W. Bush in 2004 unless they have read this book first.

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.

A definite eye-opener and exercise in objectivity for those that can complete this book without being baited by their own pre-perceptions and political affiliations. I am one that read this book cover to cover with an objective posture and open mind. Unfortunately, I fear that mass media publicity has not been covered by those that have had an opportunity to complete the book. We are missing MANY opportunities we can learn and apply....for one, our thought processes and the need to "inquire" should not represent insubordination. Nor should we feel intimidated to follow mainstream thought if our visions and values are derived from our integrity to do what is right. The book does not bash Bush, it presents a realistic picture of O'Neil's perception of Bush. What is well documented and shared are many models of process that O'Neil (as well as Greenspan)utilized to keep from being entrenched in 'yester-year' quick fix plans when our economy is so volatile to change. It's nice to see that O'Neil did not operate from "anticipation" and "optimistic perceptions" but hard core facts/figures. Why is it so hard to understand that when the news isn't good, no one wants to hear it? Fiscal prudence, process and the ability to create legislative policy that is 'blind to affiliation' is essential but almost impossible to achieve. I recommend that anyone wishing to make a difference in the quality of their lives and others, read this book. It's not the politics, not the who did what to whom....it's the thought provoking processes that wake up your mind and clean out the cobwebs that make reading this book stimulating. You might want to review your basic accounting princples and definitions first as some of the content requires a stick-to-learn-as-you go' pace. I applaud O'Neil. After his departure from Treasury, I do wonder about his willingness to participate in consultant type positions to other members of Bush's cabinet.(?????) He certainly didn't need the $. Just another thought provoking stimulus to those that have yet to read the book.

Considering how the economy has fallen down into the toilet and how this President fails to listen to anybody, I agree that he is like a blind man among deaf people.

Price of Loyalty by Paul O'Niel is very revealing and a must read for anyone who truely loves this country. Remember, O'Niel was an insider who personally witnessed many things that this adminstration would love to keep quiet.

I will bet every dollar I have to my name that the majority of the single-star ratings are written by people who haven't even picked the book up, much less read it. If you're interested in insider-politics, then read this book. In fact, go and seek out everything ever written by Ron Suskind, because he's one of the best political journalists in the country.

Here's another piece of advice: if you're interested in Bush's run-up to war, then watch the Frontline documentary on the same, and go pick up the current issue of the Atlantic Monthly, which details the entire run-up beginning on 9/12/2001, and shows how most if not all of what's gone wrong could have been avoided--especially since our own CIA and State Department predicted nearly all of it.

But if you're interested in how this White House values crass political gain over sound policy for the country, then read this book along with Suskind's articles on Karen Huges and Karl Rove. You'll have a better understanding of who's running this country than all of the TV News broadcasts will tell you in a year.

By the way, Suskind loses a star, but only because it's a dense read at times.

Reading Paul O'Neill's book on his experiences as Secretary of the Treasury in the Bush administration harkens memories of the Reagan White House. While Ronald Reagan, particularly in the latter period of his second term in the eighties, was criticized for being disengaged and letting others govern for him while he sought to maintain an effective image of the presidency, nobody went so far as to say, as O'Neill did regarding Bush, that walking into a meeting with him was like "talking to a blind man in a room with deaf people."

It has been said of George W. Bush that, even if he receives a memo outlining important subject matter, he will ask that the two or three most important points be underlined, saving him the effort of reading the entire outline. The worst said about Reagan in a similar vein was that, when Secretary of State James Baker provided him with a fact sheet concerning an upcoming summit meeting with Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev, that he told him he had watched "The Sound of Music" on television instead of reading it.

It appears that reports of Vice President Richard Cheney making major decisions in the Bush White House has more than a little substance behind it, considering revelations in this book confirming that view. For instance, pertaining to the second huge tax cut embraced by the White House, O'Neill stated that Bush initially expressed surprise, saying that he thought the "rich people" had received enough support through the initial tax cut. Cheney reportedly pressed the point for a second tax cut, indicating that it was important to grab the mantle and press the point further.

O'Neill also writes about the basis for conflict with Iraq, and when Bush considered going to war. Confirming many other accounts asserting that the decision was made well before September 11, and that Cheney stood in the forefront of the effort, Bush then fell into line and planning commenced in earnest to confront Saddam Hussein.

The issue arises as to whether O'Neill's disclosures embody revenge of a fired cabinet member. His detailed explanation of what occurred, however, appears credible, indicating that he was pushed out due to a fundamental policy difference with the Bush administration. As a former president of Alcoa who was aware of the need to maintain debt free footing to achieve success, he emphatically opposed a tax cut policy that could push America deeply into debt. Cheney and the administration's major players did not want someone who clashed with what they felt to be an imperative, a policy of tax cuts on the assumption that added revenue would prevent the arrival of huge deficits.

The announcement that the administration is investigating whether O'Neill made available information from classified documents has probably achieved for him the same result as Fox Television's lawsuit against Al Franken. The added exposure amid controversy should push the book to greater heights of popularity with the mass market of the reading public.

Although many Amazon reviewers focus on O'Neill's inability to remain objective in describing his experience on the Cabinet, this critique fails to recognize a significant message : that the Administration's process for determining policy has such little transparency that even top-level insiders are excluded. The near non-existant role debate played in policy formation is a frightening way for a government to run itself. The absence of dialogue is rarely a successful method for solving difficult problems. According to O'Neill's testimony, the cabinet meetings intended to create such debate were generally scripted while often times the real decisions were made prior such "debates".

It may be the case that O'Neill quickly found himself outside the inner-circle dictating policy and was therefore never exposed to the process involved in its creation. However, this retort only misses the point. The Secretary of Treasury OUGHT to be included in at least some of these policy discussions. The attack is not that the Bush administration uses no process at all. Only that this process is kept hidden from nearly everyone. It means there less opportunity to be persuaded away from idealogy and more opportunity for mistakes.

At the least, this book is important for a providing a glimpse into just how tightly Bush's inner circle surrounds him.

For those of you saying that this book is complete rubbish, consider how well Mr. Ron Suskind has documented his work. His work is supported by interviews with countless people within the administration, from cabinet-level officials to executive assistants, who spoke either off the record or because of Mr. O'Neill's example. Also, O'Neill provided Suskind with a CD-ROM containing 19,000 xeroxed documents rendering his 2 years as the secretary of the treasury. Everything from hundred page reports to hand scribbled notes are included. How anyone could argue that Paul O'Neill is being anything but genuine in the face of such hard evidence is beyond me. Every public move the president makes is so carefully crafted that he is unknown to many Americans. By providing an inside look at the president on a daily basis, this book will allow people to finally know the true nature of president Bush. Read this book, it is vital reading for making an informed decision this November.

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 Cheney and Karl Rove tell 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.

This book answers the question: can an honest, forthright, free-thinking, analytical person survive in the Bush Administration?

O'Neil has heroically revealed what many of us suspected all along: Bush lacks the knowledge, curiosity and intellect to be our Commander-in-Chief. Bush's carefully-crafted image (reading off teleprompters and cue cards) has been perpetuated by a conspiracy of silence at the top-- until now. Not until O'Neil's brave tome did any Cabinet-level person admit that this emporer has no clothes, that he is in fact the blankest of slates, a conduit through which the inflexible, politcally-driven, exteme ideologies of Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rove, Rumsfeld & Co. are channeled.

O'Neil has provided the public with a glimpse of Bush that one only finds at rarely- televised live press conferences featuring our president with another World Leader. Hapless without cue cards, Bush's blank-eyed, stumbling, bumbling, inarticulate, embarrassing performances contrasted with the intelligent, complex and analytical comments of his counterpart (Blair comes to mind) offer the starkest view of who he really is.

Bush does not read newspapers, watch televised news, and does not write his own speeches and commentary; of course he can not. Everything he 'knows' he is 'told' by others. So who is crafting policy and running our country? What is really going on? Paul O'Neil's eyewitness account is the best glimpse to date behind the otherwise inpenetrable wall that protects the public from the truth about this president and his administration.

Buy this book and make up your own mind.