The Price of Loyalty

George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neill

Bush, a people that disdains history, idolizes the likes of Paris Hilton, can't be bothered to vote, wants their news in 20 second sound bites, and whose high school students cannot locate Canada on a map, now have the ignorant, arrogant, anti-intellectual president we deserve. Apr 26, Mark rated it really liked it Shelves: Sep 20, Brian rated it liked it. It was interesting to re-visit the first George W. There are a lot of great insights in this book, and I think Paul O'Neill's reputation as a straight shooter and the fact that Ron Suskind worked a long time for the Wall Street Journal give the book a lot of credibility.

I think it's interesting both from a historical perspective to gain insights on the GW Bush first term's thinking but also for those interested in public administration and management due to O'Neill's also an i It was interesting to re-visit the first George W. I think it's interesting both from a historical perspective to gain insights on the GW Bush first term's thinking but also for those interested in public administration and management due to O'Neill's also an innovative thinker in management approaches thoughts on the process behind many of the first term decisions and the contrast with other presidential administrations.

Jun 07, Angela Chang rated it it was amazing. This was a very readable book! I learned a lot about how politics works from an insider, and it made me reconsider what I thought happened during Paul O'Neill's tenure at the treasury. I hadn't really read much about how political leaders made decisions before.

I was saddened by the lack of direction shown by the leader of the US, and I hope we do not make the same mistakes again. I resonated with the ideal of trying to do the right thing, and making decisions based on facts. The book showed ver This was a very readable book!

The book showed very clearly how partisan ideology gets in the way of logic, and can have terrible effects on a nation. Feb 11, Susie rated it really liked it. I actually still think this is one of the best criticisms of the Bush White House that is out there. It doesn't go off on a screed, but it is completely devastating.

Through the microcosm of their treatment of Paul O'Neill, you get a really thorough understanding of what the hell went wrong. And Suskind does a great jo I actually still think this is one of the best criticisms of the Bush White House that is out there. And Suskind does a great job of describing O'Neill's "education. Paul O'Neill was G. Bush's Treasury Secretary for the first two years of his administration. He had a reputation for speaking truth to power during his two years in office, until he was fired at the end of Having worked in both the Nixon and Ford administrations, he provides intelligent commentary on what the Bush administration was lacking - mostly a process to consider and vet policy options.

This is a must-read for any policy wonk regardless of political affiliation , or anyone inte Paul O'Neill was G. This is a must-read for any policy wonk regardless of political affiliation , or anyone interested in how organizations that are larger than human scale should operate. My friend Lis recommended this book.

I think I picked it up once and had trouble getting into it, but after the first 40 pages or so, it is definitely worth reading. If there is any book that I would read before the November presidential election, it would be this one.

What is truly frightening is Secretary O'Neil's description of the inter-workings of the Bush presidency and their financial dealings during the Secretary's time in office. This would be a good place to start. This was one of the first reports from life inside the Bush White House. A lot of what was shocking then has become well known since. However, it's still an eye opener to read about how a long-time Republican O'Neill with a lot of government experience was astonished by the Bush administration. In his first interview with Bush he expected a lot of questions.

A welcome confirmation of my gut feelings about the current administration — I'm not going crazy! This is an informative read for anyone who noticed the major discrepencies between "news" as presented by the White House propoganda organs CNN, FOX News and information from alternative sources since the summer of Also very instructive as to how those large corporate contributions to W's campaign coffers reap practical results.

Oct 24, Boris rated it really liked it. How Bush screwed up the treasury department and turned a Clinton budget surplus into a huge deficit. How they gutted the treasury for no good reason. How everything was about politics and rewarding the base. How competent people Paul Oneill were thrown out of the Bush administration.

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How decisions were made without any regard for facts or reality. Why it really matters who we elect as president. Jan 22, Lucas rated it really liked it. Bush had the unfortunate penchant for choosing the most distinguished advisers, but then taking no time to follow the logic or policies they suggested. O'Neill is one of the most highly qualified treasury secretaries we have ever had, and, if his wisdom had been allowed to guide the economy, we might not be in the same situation that we are currently facing.

May 29, Michael rated it really liked it Shelves: This was one of the first expose-style books from an ex-member of Bush's cabinet. Unfortunately, it was largely overlooked by the American public which was still under the hypnotic spell of W. Thank god that's over! If only people had payed more attention to books like this one, we might have booted Bush out in ' Jun 17, Brady Dale rated it really liked it.

Read this a long time ago, but I find myself thinking about Paul O'Neill's views a lot. He's a lifelong Republican, so I don't agree with him on everything, but he's nearly idealistic about his views on the value of an ethical bureaucracy.

I find his thinking that secrecy is almost entirely pointless very compelling. It's a really solid story and book. I may not agree with O'Neil's old conservatism, but jesus, this many has integrity. An excellent window into W's executive style passive and unquisitive.

In no way did he bash Bush- which is what I likedbut be reading the facts--you are totally astonished at how unleader-like and halfhazardly our President 43 operated. Feb 17, Sharon Beers rated it really liked it. Bush's first term, but was forced out because he refused to be a 'yes' man. Had he been able to stay in his position throughout the years of that administration, and had he been able to influence the policymakers, the country likely would have been able to avoid many of the financial debacles of the last years of Bush's reign.

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Ron Suskind is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist and best-selling author. He was the senior national affairs writer for The Wall Street Journal from to and has published several books: Suskind has written books on the George W. Books by Ron Suskind. Trivia About The Price of Loya Quotes from The Price of Loya It was a familiar voice.

It was Alan Greenspan.

Paul O'Neill had tried to stay in touch with people who had served under Gerald Ford, and he'd been reasonably conscientious about it. Alan Greenspan was the exception. In his case, the effort was constant and purposeful. Never social so much. They never talked about families or outside interests. It was all about ideas: Medicare financing or block grants - a concept that O'Neill basically invented to balance federal power and local autonomy - or what was really happening in the economy. It became clear that they thought well together.

President Ford used to have them talk about various issues while he listened. After a while, each knew how the other's mind worked, the way married couples do.

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In the past fifteen years, they'd made a point of meeting every few months. It could be in New York, or Washington, or Pittsburgh. They talked about everything, just as always. Greenspan, O'Neill told a friend, "doesn't have many people who don't want something from him, who will talk straight to him.

So that's what we do together - straight talk.

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We really need you down here," Greenspan said. We could be a team at the key moment, to do the things we've always talked about. This was a serious discussion. They digressed into some things they'd "always talked about," especially reforming Medicare and Social Security. For Paul and Alan, the possibility of such bold reinventions bordered on fantasy, but fantasy made real. Paul noticed that he seemed oddly anxious. This was akin to prayer from Greenspan. O'Neill, not expecting such conviction from his old friend, said little. After a while, he just thanked Alan.

He said he always respected his counsel. He said he was thinking hard about it, and he'd call as soon as he decided what to do. The receiver returned to its cradle. He thought about Greenspan. They were young men together in the capital. Alan stayed, became the most noteworthy Federal Reserve Bank chairman in modern history and, arguably the most powerful public official of the past two decades.

O'Neill left, led a corporate army, made a fortune, and learned lessons - about how to think and act, about the importance of outcomes - that you can't ever learn in a government. Do the Right Thing , by Mike Huckabee. Leadership , autobiography by Rudolph Giuliani. America by Heart , by Sarah Palin.

Book Reviews from Amazon. Click on a participant to pop-up their full list of quotations from The Price of Loyalty number of quotes indicated: If people intend the right thing, no basis for lawsuits. Energy production overrules CO2 emissions. Industry overruled environment in energy taskforce. Special interest groups rule Bush Administration. This vivid, unfolding narrative is like no other book that has been written about the Bush presidency. At its core are the candid assessments of former Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill, the only member of Bush's cabinet to leave and speak frankly about how and why the administration has come to its core policies and decisions -- from cutting taxes for the rich to conducting preemptive war.

O'Neill's account is supported by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind's interviews with numerous participants in the administration, by transcripts of meetings, and by voluminous documents. The result is a disclosure of breadth and depth unparalleled for an ongoing presidency. As readers are taken to the very epicenter of government, Suskind presents an astonishing picture of a president so carefully managed in his public posture that he is a mystery to most Americans.

Now, he is revealed. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed A Hope in the Unseen. Visit the author's website at www. The best we're likely to have for some time