10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Interesting and Entertaining Book, April 13, 2002
I thought this was a well written, interesting and entertaining book describing his time in the Reagan White House. The author was the topic so I always do discount a little of what I read, but from some of the other books, I have read, from the Reagan staff, it looks like he did not pull too many Al Haig's and get an over blown ego. The detail on his job in the treasury department was very interesting, the explanations of the Reagan economic policies and their effects of the debit levels and currency value was also well done. Very few authors could document this topic and make it interesting. I think the most press on this book was due to his explanation of his relationship with Nancy and her controlling of the president by some tarot card reader in San Francisco. He handled it well and it is a juicy bit in the book. If you are interested in the Reagan administration then this is a good book that keeps you interested. If you are looking for a Reagan love fest then I would pick up Meeses's book, it is like a teenager writing a love letter to a boy band.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Regan vs. Reagan - An Episdoe From The Nation's Past, July 21, 2010
This is a blast from the past. I read it many years ago, but thought I should review it just in case someone wanted to get a glimpse into a bygone era of American politics. The Reagan administration is seen by many as one that accomplished much, and how it accomplished what it did is an interesting story, a story that should be told from more than the normal perspective of Reagan worshipers. Regan is not a Reagan hater, but rather someone who has a more somber vision of what occurred. Yes, this did result from the fact that he was burnt by some in the administration, but he still did observe the fact that Reagan was a delegator who trusted people too much. Regan also highlights how a lack of direction created unease while he served as the Secretary of the Treasury. All in all,a great insight into the presidential politics of the 1980s.
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2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A thought provoking look inside the Reagan White House, September 17, 2005
This review is from: For the Record: From Wall Street to Washington (Paperback)
When he assumed the presidency, Ronald Reagan knew what had to be done to turn the country around after four years of ruinous Democrat rule. He also knew that in order to do it, he would have to find the best qualified men and women in the nation to carry out his policies. One of the men he selected was Donald Regan, the son of an Irish policeman, who had attended Harvard on a scholarship, served in the Marine Corp during World War II, and worked his way up through the ranks to become Chairman of the Board of Merrill Lynch. By the time Reagan became president, Donald Regan was a wealthy man contemplating a quiet retirement. Instead, he came aboard and became Secretary of the Treasury in Ronald Reagan's first term and, upon Reagan's re-election, his Chief of Staff. In this book, Regan takes us behind the scenes in the Reagan White House and lets us follow the action from the beginning of Reagan's administration up to the time of his resignation.
It is an insightful story told by a man who was there. Reading it, one gets the impression that Regan has never been given the credit he deserves for his contributions to the nation's economic recovery as Secretary of the Treasury. At the same time, one senses that Donald Regan may have been seriously misjudged by the reporters with whom he was forced to interact as Chief of Staff and, partly because of his so called "abrasive" personality, was harshly treated by the news media. Looking at things from the inside, rather than the outside, it also seems likely that Regan, in the public mind, was held responsible during the Iran/Contra Affair for things of which he had no knowledge and over which he had no control or authority.
In the end, Regan was forced to resign, and his resignation was accomplished in such a manner as to embarrass Regan and detract from what should have been an exemplary reputation. The impression one gets from this sad end is that it came about not because of anything Regan had done during the Iran/Contra Affair or because of his presumed abrasive personality, or even because he was constantly under attack by the press. In my view, it happened [in the way it did] simply because Ronald Reagan had been absolutely convinced that Donald Regan had committed the one unpardonable sin in Reagan's eyes. He had rebuffed and insulted Nancy Reagan and perhaps other members of the Reagan family.
This is an in-depth and enlightening study of the inner-workings of the Reagan White House, and since it is based on the meticulous notes kept by Donald Regan while part of that administration it will be an invaluable resource for future generations of historians. The strangest and most interesting thing, to me, about this book, however, is that despite the way in which he was (essentially) fired and in light of the fact that Reagan and Regan never met or spoke again; Donald Regan seemed to have an extremely difficult time saying anything bad about Ronald Reagan.
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