Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power

Book Description

With the publication of his magisterial biography of John F. Kennedy, An Unfinished Life, Robert Dallek cemented his reputation as one of the greatest historians of our time. Now, in this epic joint biography, he offers a provocative, groundbreaking portrait of a pair of outsize leaders whose unlikely partnership dominated the world stage and changed the course of history.

More than thirty years after working side-by-side in the White House, Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger remain two of the most compelling, contradictory, and powerful men in America in the second half of the twentieth century. While their personalities could hardly have seemed more different, they were drawn together by the same magnetic force. Both were largely self-made men, brimming with ambition, driven by their own inner demons, and often ruthless in pursuit of their goals. At the height of their power, the collaboration and rivalry between them led to a sweeping series of policies that would leave a defining mark on the Nixon presidency.

Tapping into a wealth of recently declassified archives, Robert Dallek uncovers fascinating details about Nixon and Kissinger's tumultuous personal relationship and the extent to which they struggled to outdo each other in the reach for achievements in foreign affairs. Dallek also brilliantly analyzes their dealings with power brokers at home and abroad—including the nightmare of Vietnam, the unprecedented opening to China, détente with the Soviet Union, the Yom Kippur War in the Middle East, the disastrous overthrow of Allende in Chile, and growing tensions between India and Pakistan—while recognizing how both men were continually plotting to distract the American public's attention from the growing scandal of Watergate. With unprecedented detail, Dallek reveals Nixon's erratic behavior during Watergate and the extent to which Kissinger was complicit in trying to help Nixon use national security to prevent his impeachment or resignation.

Illuminating, authoritative, revelatory, and utterly engrossing, Nixon and Kissinger provides a startling new picture of the immense power and sway these two men held in changing world history.

Customer Reviews:

Lots for research, but no "there" there at times, and some questionable analysis.......2007-09-27

The book seems to have plenty of snippets of research from the latest from the Nixon Library and Henry K himself. But, as other reviewers have also noted, it doesn't add a lot of new analysis to Nixon, Kissenger, or Nixon-Kissenger bios. The book could have been trimmed 200 pages (and lost 20 pages of footnotes as well), and maybe bumped up a star. Or, Dallek could have done more actual work, expanded it another 100 pages and have a worthwhile in-depth study. Instead, we get neither. (For example, there's just a handful of pages about relations with NATO allies, including almost nothing on their take on SALT talks.)

Beyond that, I have two historical analysis bones to pick, and one writing/copyeding one as well.

First, on page 76, Dallek claims that successful fall 1968 Vietnam peace talks would have been unlikely to change the election. HUH?

Given that Humphrey closed a double-digit percentage point gap in the final two weeks to the 0.7 percent of election day, that's a ludicrous argument. Heck, if LBJ had called the bombing halt on, say, Oct. 28 instead of Oct. 31, and gotten one more shred of "movement" from Hanoi before election day, HHH would have beaten Nixon.

Second, on page 511, Dallek claims that Chilean socialist president Salvador Allende would have been overthrown by his own ineptness even had Nixon/Kissenger not supported coup elements in various ways. For Dallek to say this without taking into account US economic pressure, or ITT meddling, is equally ludicrous to what he said about the 1968 election.

Finally, on the copyediting/writing side. Throughout the book, "State Department" is lower-cased as "state department," while "summit" and "junta," among other words, are consistently capitalized. This is not per Chicago style (at least not when I worked as a book publisher). I'm guessing it's some idiosyncrasy of Dallek's.

I had thought about three-starring this, but, what I said above, plus how I was able to skim this book so much, showing its amount of fluff, made me move it down a star.

Worth reading - An Inside Look.......2007-09-01

I liked this book. It gave a real inside view of two extremely complicated and powerful men. I came away not especially liking either one. Yet one could, to some extent, feel some sympathy for each. It takes a good writer to be able to illicit that in the reader. Dallek is a fine writer. You can trust what he pens. I recommend the book.

Author animous prejudices history.......2007-08-29

It is a pity that author Robert Dallek has allowed his personal animus, typical of many Nixon haters, to compromise almost every page of his book.

Dallek measures Nixon's views and actions with 20 / 20 hindsight rather than based on contemporary information and circumstances. In fact, Nixon's demonstrates great prescience and profundity in his early years as he struggles to lead the nation out of the inherited Viet Nam quagmire and to effectively deal with various major foreign policy challenges in order to safeguard the world against nuclear war.

We hear more of Dallek's criticism and psycho-babble than we hear of what Nixon and Kissinger were actually doing. So it is a task of shifting through pages to extract tid-bits of information.

When early in his administration Nixon makes a swing through Asia to become acquainted with and renew relationships with a dozen leaders, a typical Dallek comment is "The visits to Djakarta, Indonesia, and Bangkok, Thailand, were noteworthy only for heavy rains that drenched them to the skin, terrible heat that again left them 'dripping wet,' and delicious food. A quick four-and-a-half our visit to Saigon to discuss the war with Thieu and visit some U. S. troops accomplished nothing of importance."

Dallek clearly is an academic rather than someone with knowledge of business, diplomacy or politics to conclude that starting an administration by generating relationships and learning the views and positions of various heads of state is "nothing of importance."

Dallek severely faults Nixon for his desire to be well thought of in his own and future times, not recognizing that these are instincts that have motivated such great leaders such as George Washington, Winston Churchill, Douglas MacArthur and Charles DeGaulle.

Had Dallek saved his analysis for his final chapters, it would have been fair play and interesting, especially if he endeavored to support his views with citations. But as it is, "Nixon and Kissinger" reads as one long venomous hatchet job. I can only recommend it to students of history as an example of how not to write a book.

Only the Paranoid Survive!!.......2007-08-16

Your Jeopardy answer is "Nixon and Kissinger."
Buzzer. The question is "Name two paranoid, overweening, self-centered, sometimes delusional men who were responsible for US policy between 1968-1974."

As might be expected from historian Robert Dallek, he has written an interesting, often compelling book about two giants (some might say ogres) of 20th century US government.

Both men would probably claim that all of their actions were for the benefit of the United States, but Dallek shows convincingly that Nixon and Kissinger's priorities might be rated as 1) How will this help my public image? 2) Will this help my election prospects? and 3) oh yes, I nearly forget, this policy / action will be for the benefit of the United States. Visionary leadership was not a strong suit for either of these two men.

Whatever demons existed inside Richard Nixon, he trusted no one. Had Intel's Andy Grove not titled his book "Only the Paranoid Survive," this would be a perfect title for Dallek's work. Kissinger was of a similar mind set to Nixon and was involved in consistent internal warfare with other government colleagues especially Secretary of State Bill Rogers. He brought Al Haig to Paris peace talks because he "didn't trust him behind my back anymore." He was not the only one with similar views of Haig. One of Kissinger's staff said Haig was "excessively ambitious, manipulative, ingratiating, crafty, not at all intelligent, a dissembler and untrustworthy." These were people who truly deserved each other.

Nixon will forever be remembered for Watergate, but Robert Dallek does a good job in showing Nixon and Kissinger's drive for improved relations with both the Soviet Union and China.

The material on Vietnam and the peace discussions shows both parties - Vietnam and US, to be cynical and devious. Kissinger thought that dealing with two groups of Vietnamese "in the one day, you might as well run an insane asylum." In forcing South Vietnam to sign a peace treaty with the communist North Vietnam, neither Nixon nor Kissinger were under any illusions but that the treaty would ultimately lead to the complete surrender of South Vietnam.

The most interesting part of what is a good lengthy (623 pages, excluding notes) read is the profile of Nixon during the Watergate debacle. Dallek shows the president to be often very close to nervous and mental breakdown and goes so far as to suggest Nixon should have been asked to hand over the reins of power much earlier. Watergate broke Nixon. He drank to excess and was often a rambling, shambles of a man. Much of this personality was hidden from public view but his bitterness at the press surfaced at one conference when he declared he was not angry at the fourth estate - "You see, one can only be angry with those he respects." I bet that won him a lot of kudos with The New York Times!

Keen students of Nixon and Kissinger might suggest there is little new in the book, but if you are looking for an interesting oversight of two brilliant but flawed men, it is a very worthwhile and interesting read.

horrifying.......2007-08-15

In this worthy book Dallek chronicles the dysfunctional relationship between two very dysfunctional individuals who made foreign policy from 1968 to 1974. These were two aloof men with inferiority complexes who believed that they were right and everyone else was wrong and promply proceeded to prove the opposite. In this relationship can be found the tragically unnecessary prolonging of the Vietnam War, the unethical overthrowing of President Allende of Chile and other catastrophes of foreign policy.
No matter how many times Kissinger has tried to rationalize his time at the top or find excuses for Vietnam there are none save that he read the issues wrong and acted wrongly.
This book is a good argument for why foreign policy should be made by the State Department and not the National Security Adivsor and why foreign policy shouldn't be made at the desk in the Oval Office.

Unchecked and Unbalanced: Presidential Power in a Time of Terror

Average customer rating:

Love the PW review- as always
"A Republic, If You Can Keep It"
Very dangerous premise
Responsibly Written - Well Researched
The right people to ring the alarm bells

Unchecked and Unbalanced: Presidential Power in a Time of Terror
Frederick A. O. Schwarz , and Aziz Z. Huq
Manufacturer: New Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Constitutional Law | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

The Matador's Cape: America's Reckless Response to Terror
Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy
The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration
Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower

ASIN: 1595581170

Book Description

A scathing portrait of contemporary executive power run amok, by the author of the original 1976 Church Committee report on executive abuse.

"In thirty-four years, I have repeatedly seen an erosion of the powers and the ability of the president of the United States to do his job."—Vice President Dick Cheney

Thirty years after the Church Committee unearthed COINTELPRO and other instances of illicit executive behavior on the domestic and international fronts, the Bush administration has elevated the flaws identified by the committee into first principles of government.

Through a constellation of non-public laws and opaque, unaccountable institutions, the current administration has created a "secret presidency" run by classified presidential decisions and orders about national security. A hyperactive Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Justice is intent on eliminating checks on presidential power and testing that power's limits. Decisions are routinely executed at senior levels within the civilian administration without input from Congress or the federal courts, let alone our international allies. Secret NSA spying at home is the most recent of these. Harsh treatment of detainees, "extraordinary renditions," secret foreign prisons, and the newly minted enemy combatant designation have also undermined our values. The resulting policies have harmed counterterrorism efforts and produced few tangible results.

With a partisan Congress predictably reluctant to censure a politically aligned president, it is all the more important for citizens themselves to demand disclosure, oversight, and restraint of sweeping claims of executive power. This book is the first step.

Customer Reviews:

Love the PW review- as always.......2007-07-10

I'm so glad we have the reader reviews on Amazon. The Publishers Weekly evaluations are often very biased and dismissive. "Though another book criticizing the Bush presidency is of questionable necessity" - really? We've reached the limit on books examining and critiquing the performance of the President of the United States? Thanks, PW! I'll stop worrying about the health of our democracy and go straight to bed.

"A Republic, If You Can Keep It".......2007-07-09

Benjamin Franklin, when asked what type of government we had created, is said to have replied, "A republic, if you can keep it." "Unchecked and Unbalanced" shows why America is in danger of being transformed into a monarchy by the Bush Administration, reporting how this new theory of unchecked presidential power developed and why it is wrong. The authors also contend that the theory is not a response to 9/11, but long nurtured by Cheney and his assistant David Addington from at least the days of the Iran-Contra investigation, and even followed (to a much lesser extent) by Bill Clinton.

Executive branch lawyers now describe an ongoing (not just emergency) power to set aside legal checks imposed by Congress and to even act when Congress is silent. This authority extends to treaties as well, and at least one Office of Legal Council (OLC) leader claims coverage of judicial decisions as well.

Lincoln acted early on at the start of the Civil war without Congressional authorization, and even ignored an order by the Chief Justice. The difference between Lincoln and Bush is that Lincoln did not do so on an on-going basis, sought subsequent approval, and did not act in secret.

"Unchecked and Unbalanced" provides rationale for concluding that OLC's conclusions are wrong; it also asserts that the OLC claims were developed without adherence to professional obligations - eg. they failed to identify, let alone respond to, weaknesses in their legal arguments, and failed to mention key Supreme Court cases.

Finally, to protect our republic, the authors recommend Congress hold hearings and act, and that the Supreme Court follow suit. Unfortunately this is made difficult by executive branch supervision of intelligence gathering and distribution.

Very dangerous premise.......2007-07-06

propounded here. For background, Schwarz was counsel for the Church Committee. It was that committee that emasculated the CIA, not allowing it to deal with foreign agents with any sort of criminal record (who does the spying; not the Boy Scouts) and putting up barriers for communications between U.S. intelligence agencies. All this lead directly to many of the problems of 9/11. Now, because of their hatred for Bush, these authors want to return to that Alice in Wonderland approach to national security. That's why this premise is so dangerous; our lives depend on it.

Responsibly Written - Well Researched.......2007-05-24

The authors documents how the Bush Administration, in an effort to fight terrorism, has side-stepped the constitution, circumvented the Geneva Convention, and broken countless other laws. The authors describe how the net result is an erosion of the moral character of America, which, in the long run, is counterproductive in the war on terror.

The right people to ring the alarm bells.......2007-05-07

Frederick A.O. Schwarz Jr. is senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and a partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore. He was chief counsel to the Church Committee. Aziz Z. Huq is associate counsel at the Brennan Center and previously clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court. This is a book you will not be able to put down, in which they demonstrate and document how the Bush administration has gone further than Nixon or Reagan ever dreamed to create a monarchical presidency with the acquiescence of a complicit Congress and a cowed judiciary.

Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence

Average customer rating:

Emotional Intelligence for Relational Leadership
Very Insightful and Educational
Team 2: Primal Leadership- Book Review- UWM/MBA Students (Edina, Keith, Dianne, Vicki)
Forget that we are all people at your own risk
Refreshing

Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence
Daniel Goleman , Annie McKee , and Richard E. Boyatzis
Manufacturer: Harvard Business School Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Emotions | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Working with Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ
Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships
The Leadership Challenge, 4th Edition
Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting with Others Through Mindfulness, Hope, and Compassion

ASIN: 157851486X

Amazon.com

Business leaders who maintain that emotions are best kept out of the work environment do so at their organization's peril. Bestselling author Daniel Goleman's theories on emotional intelligence (EI) have radically altered common understanding of what "being smart" entails, and in Primal Leadership, he and his coauthors present the case for cultivating emotionally intelligent leaders. Since the actions of the leader apparently account for up to 70 percent of employees' perception of the climate of their organization, Goleman and his team emphasize the importance of developing what they term "resonant leadership." Focusing on the four domains of emotional intelligence--self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management--they explore what contributes to and detracts from resonant leadership, and how the development of these four EI competencies spawns different leadership styles. The best leaders maintain a style repertoire, switching easily between "visionary," "coaching," "affiliative," and "democratic," and making rare use of less effective "pace-setting" and "commanding" styles. The authors' discussion of these methods is informed by research on the workplace climates engendered by the leadership styles of more than 3,870 executives. Indeed, the experiences of leaders in a wide range of work environments lend real-life examples to much of the advice Goleman et al. offer, from developing the motivation to change and creating an improvement plan based on learning rather than performance outcomes, to experimenting with new behaviors and nurturing supportive relationships that encourage change and growth. The book's final section takes the personal process of developing resonant leadership and applies it to the entire organizational culture. --S. Ketchum

Book Description

Daniel Goleman's international bestseller Emotional Intelligence forever changed our concept of "being smart," showing how emotional intelligence (EI)-how we handle ourselves and our relationships-can determine life success more than IQ. Then, Working with Emotional Intelligence revealed how stellar career performance also depends on EI.

Now, Goleman teams with renowned EI researchers Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee to explore the role of emotional intelligence in leadership. Unveiling neuroscientific links between organizational success or failure and "primal leadership," the authors argue that a leader's emotions are contagious. If a leader resonates energy and enthusiasm, an organization thrives; if a leader spreads negativity and dissonance, it flounders. This breakthrough concept charges leaders with driving emotions in the right direction to have a positive impact on earnings or strategy.

Drawing from decades of analysis within world-class organizations, the authors show that resonant leaders-whether CEOs or managers, coaches or politicians-excel not just through skill and smarts, but by connecting with others using EI competencies like empathy and self-awareness. And they employ up to six leadership styles-from visionary to coaching to pacesetting-fluidly interchanging them as the situation demands.

The authors identify a proven process through which leaders can learn to:

Assess, develop, and sustain personal EI competencies over time

Inspire and motivate people

Cultivate resonant leadership throughout teams and organizations

Leverage resonance to increase bottom-line performance The book no leader in any walk of life can afford to miss, this unforgettable work transforms the art of leadership into the science of results.

Customer Reviews:

Emotional Intelligence for Relational Leadership.......2007-09-20

If you smile at me, I smile back; you frown and I look down - emotions are not a closed-loop system, but an open-loop system that helps us learn or causes us to shutdown. Transference of positive emotions (resonance) drives organizations to higher performance, conflicting emotions drive dissonance and limit performance according to authors Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee. Thus, leadership is far more relational than transactional and good leaders are competent in all four domains of Emotional Intelligence - self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. The best leaders are also adept at applying a wide repertoire of supportive leadership styles - Visionary, Coaching, Affiliative, or Pacesetting to drive resonance, but also Pacesetting and even Commanding when the circumstances dictate.

It all sounds like so much common sense now; nearly 10 years after Goleman first burst on the scene with his international bestseller "Emotional Intelligence". Still, it is sometimes useful to remind ourselves that management is a relational process and that the necessary skills can be individually learned and subsequently developed within a team and/or organization - as the second half of this book goes on to say. If you have the time to step back and contemplate how relational interactions might be better managed within your organization, this book might give you a few things to think about. Dennis DeWilde, Author of "The Performance Connection"

Very Insightful and Educational.......2007-06-24

I absolutely loved the information in this book. It hits on many points that you dont get in general business classes. It explains leadership styles, review processes, self development, and just an overall good book in general on how to treat and develope people under you effectively. It is amazing how many people run corporations, and dont know or understand the power of the information in this book. I purchased copies to develope my 2 levels of supervisors below me. Highly Recomended!

Team 2: Primal Leadership- Book Review- UWM/MBA Students (Edina, Keith, Dianne, Vicki).......2007-05-04

We thought the book has great ideas to share on the leadership theory. It is written clearly and is easy to read. The authors, who are clearly well educated in the field of Emotional Intelligence and leadership, offer a well written book on: Emotional Intelligence; leadership styles; and offer a model for self directed learning (with Richard Boyatzi's Theory of Self Directed learning).

The book has three main parts.

In the first part of the book, The Power of Emotional Intelligence, the authors provide a great introduction to what makes leaders great. The authors show that resonant leaders - whether CEO's, managers, politicians or coaches - excel not just through skill and smarts, but by connecting with others using the EI competencies. They make scientific connections to neuro-anatomy that support the idea that emotions do in fact drive human behavior. The concepts of resonance, dissonance, laughter and moods are laid as the groundwork for understanding primal leadership and emotional intelligence. Then, they outline the four foundations, or domains, of emotional intelligence and their associated competencies:

* Self-Awareness:

- Emotional self-awareness
- Accurate self-assessment
- Self-confidence

* Self-Management:

- Emotional self-control
- Transparency
- Adaptability
- Achievement
- Initiative
- Optimism

* Social awareness:

- Empathy
- Organizational awareness
- Service

* Relationship management:

- Inspirational Leadership
- Influence
- Developing others
- Change catalyst
- Conflict management
- Building bonds
- Teamwork and collaboration

An important piece of applying EI is developing a flexible leadership style that is designed to draw in and motivate employees via a repertoire of leadership styles that include:

* Resonant Leadership Styles:

- Visionary
- Coaching
- Affiliative
- Democratic

* Dissonant Leadership Styles (limited use):

- Pace-setting
- Commanding

The second part, Making Leaders, is about the process of making emotionally intelligent leaders. The authors argue the case of "CEO disease" which is the information vacuum around a leader created when people withhold important (usually unpleasant) information. This includes getting too little useful performance feedback. The authors argue that when it comes to building leadership skills that last, motivation and how a person feels about learning matters immensely. People learn what they want to learn. If it is forced, it will soon be forgotten. Consequently they offer the five stages of self "discoveries" which are essentially a self-directed self-evaluation process that help make changes more long-standing. The author brings hope by explaining that true leaders are made, not born. They explain that resonant leadership is achievable through experimenting and practicing new behaviors.

The third part of the book, Building Emotionally Intelligent Organizations, attempts to apply emotional intelligence concepts on a macro level. It begins with the application to teams, then moves to the ideal organization, and closes discussing how to create sustainable change. There is general agreement that the third part of the book is the weakest. It teases readers who want to know more about how to be more effective on the team and organizational level, but does not provide the necessary how to steps. The particulars of how all of this is achieved within an organizational context are disappointingly vague as a systematic research model is not presented.

Criticisms of the book:
The first and second part of the book were found to be well liked by all of our team members. However, the third part of the book was found to be strong in the development of the theory, but weak in the application of it to real life. Further weaknesses of the book are listed below:
- The primary focus seems to be on identifying the components and the theory supporting primal leadership, however, it is lacking specific guidance on implementing the steps.
- Examples sometimes speak to success, however at times they do not identify specifically what the person did to achieve that success. More detail would provide better learning for the reader.
- Most of the research was secondary data.
- The book does not discuss competing theories.
- A single minded focus on building good relations may create the "Country Club" paradigm, good feelings but little output. (Allio)

We liked the book because:
The following lists the many strengths of the book, which outline why our team liked the book.
* It is relevant to the challenges of today's business by offering ways to improve business performance through improving leadership.
* It gives great examples of how positive and negative leaders may impact success of the organization.
* It provides a comprehensive introduction to the importance of EI skills in our every day business life.
* It stresses the realization of the importance to put people first before strategy.
* Nature vs. Nurture? The author brings a hope (even though not all leaders are born with all self-competencies) that through incorporation of different leadership techniques one can potentially become an effective and resonant leader.
* It inspires the reader to look inward and develop their own emotional intelligence.
* It's timing is relevant to the advance of modern leadership theory.

This book, overall, is recommended to others, specifically including our team peers, colleagues, leadership at work, leadership at volunteer organizations, family and friends. This book serves as a great introduction to the concept of emotional intelligence in everyday business life, while crossing over to life outside of the business world too.

Forget that we are all people at your own risk.......2007-04-03

In sales training you are taught to analyze emotions, to identify the type of personality your prospect has, and then taught how to best make a sales pitch to that personality type.

In MBA school you are instead taught (usually by the case study method) that numbers are the bottom line and any ideas you might have of people not being interchangeable parts is silly if not outright incorrect.

Let's say you need to hire a physicist. On the one hand you have this physicist with an MBA (yes they exist, I'm one) and he understands the bottom line, how to sell, how to plan. On the other hand you have Einstein who looks funny and forgets to put on his shoes when he walks to lunch. You'd better decide carefully what you need. Princeton University decided - they built the only covered walkway between building so Einstein didn't get his feet wet going between his office and the cafeteria.

Above all else, this book says that we are people. Ignore that we have emotions and you will lose.

Refreshing.......2007-03-25

I picked this book up on a whim, and I was very surprised how much it pertained to my life. I found this book to be very insightful and refreshing. The ideas and concepts put forth seem so simple and full of common sense, yet very few people seem to practice them. I think this is a must read for people who want the most out of life and their relationships.

The Power of Alignment: How Great Companies Stay Centered and Accomplish Extraordinary Things

Average customer rating:

As significant today as it was when first published
This Is a Great Resource!
Make Sure That Everything You Do Points To Success !
Powerful Organizational Focus
Alignment is Key Essential Usually Overlooked

The Power of Alignment: How Great Companies Stay Centered and Accomplish Extraordinary Things
George Labovitz , and Victor Rosansky
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Decision-Making & Problem Solving | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Systems & Planning | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Organizational Change | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Please Don't Just Do What I Tell You, Do What Needs to Be Done: Every Employee's Guide to Making Work More Rewarding
Leading Change
An Autumn of War: What America Learned from September 11 and the War on Terrorism
Implementing Diversity
Flawless Execution : Use the Techniques and Systems of America's Fighter Pilots to Perform at Your Peak and Win the Battles of the Business World

ASIN: 0471177903

Book Description

Misaligned companies, like cars out of alignment, can develop serious problems if not corrected quickly. They are hard to steer and don't respond well to changes in direction. This groundbreaking book shows you how to get -and keep -all the vital elements of your organization aligned and headed in the same direction at the same time.

Managers must now keep their people centered in the midst of change, deemphasize hierarchy, and distribute leadership by distributing authority, information, knowledge, and customer data throughout their organization. Alignment is a response to the new business reality where customer requirements are in flux, where competitive forces are turbulent, and where the bond of loyalty between an organization and its people has been weakened. The old linear approach to management has given way to one of simultaneity -to alignment.

As pioneers of the alignment concept, the authors have developed this unique approach based on their work with leading companies throughout the world. The Power of Alignment is packed with war stories and the firsthand perspectives of industry leaders. You'll learn how world-class organizations, including Federal Express, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Columbia/HCA Healthcare, Citizens Utilities, AirTouch, and UNUM achieved extraordinary business results. Now, through the authors' expertise, you'll see how alignment can work for your organization.

In essence, alignment links the five key elements of an organization -people, process, customers, business strategies, and, of course, leadership -to obtain breakthrough results, chief among them, sustained growth and profit, loyal customers, and a high-performing work force. The Power of Alignment:
* Offers a clear framework for aligning and linking the crucial elements that build and sustain a company's success
* Provides self-assessment tools as well as benchmarking measures for evaluating an organization's critical competencies
* Enables managers to create a work force where each employee can relate his or her activities to the goals and strategic objectives of the company
* Helps a company determine when and where it is out of alignment, and gives descriptions of such common company pathologies as "The Phantom Limb Syndrome," "Strategy Interruptus," and "Dead Man Walking"
* Prescribes specific steps for getting an organization back on track toward a single, shared vision of its goals

Essential reading for all managers and executives, The Power of Alignment offers a new way to reestablish focus and sustained energy, and is a dynamic approach for staying balanced and achieving extraordinary levels of performance.

"This book is savvy, detailed, timely, and clearly written. I highly recommend it for any leader facing the challenges posed by global business today." - Dana Mead Chairman and CEO, Tenneco Former Chairman National Association of Manufacturers

"It's not only the stars that have to be in alignment to reach your destination, it's all the internal processes, rewards, and drivers. Read The Power of Alignment, and while you may not unlock the secrets of the universe, you will overcome the barriers to corporate success." - William L. Boyan President and COO John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company.

"This important book goes beyond TQM and reengineering by creating a new approach called Alignment. The authors show that great companies manage to link strategy and people and integrate customer needs with continuous improvement processes." - Peter Augustsson President and Group Chief Executive AB SKF.

"The Power of Alignment gets to the heart of a critical element of organizational leadership, namely focus. Every leader who reads it will undoubtedly do some serious soul-searching about the consistency of corporate vision, goals, management systems, and incentive mechanisms." - Louis E. Lataif Dean Boston University School of Management.

Customer Reviews:

As significant today as it was when first published.......2007-08-26

After reviewing several books on Strategic Execution, I was continuously left with the feeling that the authors had ommitted a key ingredient. This book has convinced me that that key ingredient was "Alignment".
This book was published 10 years ago (OK, I am embarrassed that I have only just got around to reading it) but it is as significant today as it was when it was first published. Probably more so considering the rapid state of change that most companies are faced with today.
It is a simple read, and the concepts are easy to follow. What I enjoyed most about the book is that the suggestions are practical and you can take them and implement them immediately within an organization.
I noticed that one of the readers who has reviewed the book said that the book was required reading for his MBA course. 10 years on, I still think it should be required reading for any business executive.

This Is a Great Resource!.......2007-07-10

I'm always looking for visual ways of understanding critical elements of strategy. The Power of Alignment offers a very helpful way of thinking about four important ingredients in keeping the main thing, the main thing. Vertical alignment, the relationship between your strategy and the people on your team, "energizes...provides direction, and offers opportunity for involvement." Horizontal alignment refers to the connection between your processes and customers. Taken together the two measures provide some great insight into the development of genuine alignment.

One of the most interesting elements of the book is a 16 question diagnostic tool that is designed to provide a graphic view of your organization's alignment. Very helpful!

Make Sure That Everything You Do Points To Success !.......2006-05-03

Great book! The basic premise is that once a business has a raison d'etre, or a 'main thing', that profits are maximized by the alignment of four key business areas: Strategy, Processes, People, and Customers. Built on this premise are actionalbe ways to build a self-aligning organization. I got the sense of discovering truth while I read this book. Leadership isn't really about power, it is about responsibility. This book shows a manager at any level how to align his area to the overall strategy of the company and to the end products of the company. It shows how processes should be designed and what factors should be used to reward, recognize and evaluate employees. Great food for thought and realistic to implement.

Five Stars

Powerful Organizational Focus.......2003-05-28

Quite simply, this book was one of the best business management and leadership books I have ever read. It was well-written and expertly balanced management and leadership concepts with real-world examples of effectively aligned organizations, such as Federal Express and Southwest Airlines. This book should be read and discussed by leaders and managers at all levels, especially by mid- to senior-level executives.

In brief, alignment deals with the relationships among the people, processes, strategy, and customers of an organization relative to that organization's purpose, or what the authors called "the main thing." Alignment is both a noun, a state of being, and a verb, a set of actions. Vertical alignment connects organizational strategy with the people responsible for transforming that strategy into meaningful work. Horizontal alignment deals with understanding your customers' wants and then creating processes to deliver what your customers want, when and how they want it. Effective leadership nurtures the organizational culture that is built around and upon "the main thing," and it is this culture and leadership combination that drives and sustains self-aligning organizations in turbulent times.

The authors' analogy of landing a plane helped me to visualize the dynamics involved with organizational alignment. To land a plane, a pilot must adjust and react to multiple simultaneous factors and conditions (i.e. air speed, altitude, angle of approach, wind speed and direction, etc.) and then understand how a change in one will affect the others. Likewise, to align an organization, a leader must adjust and react to feedback about his people, processes, strategy, and customers, and then understand how a change in one will affect the others.

The authors clearly and thoroughly explained the alignment factors and conditions throughout the book. They followed their explanations with incisive questions for readers to ask about themselves and their organizations to assess their degree of alignment. Those questions were definitely a highlight of the book for they really helped to stimulate my thinking and should help inspire organizational progress to alignment. Another highlight was the appendices that contained examples of actual tools and products used and created by some of the aligned organizations studied by the authors.

The inside back cover jacket sums up why I give the book my highest recommendation: "Essential reading for all managers and executives, "The Power of Alignment" offers a new way to reestablish focus and sustained energy, and is a dynamic approach for staying balanced and achieving extraordinary levels of performance."

Alignment is Key Essential Usually Overlooked.......2001-07-13

I found this book easy reading, concise, and presented it's basic premise well with specific examples and good suggestions for creation and implementation.

Working as a Director in Managed Care for several pharmaceutical companies, it creates a focus for any organization and a roadmap for the future(physician, health plan, pharmaceutical company) to avoid many of the mistakes and pitfalls that have already been experienced in an attempt to align with the ever changing healthcare landscape.

For those who do account management, it provides a construct and roadmap to use to optimize alignment with internal customers and maximize resources to create value and return with the external customers (....and their customers.) As the authors point, alignment is a continuing process, not a single event in time. Many companies become quickly aligned with the past, and misaligned with the present & future, and can not sustain the competitive edge because they forget this basic premise that the authors reinforce.

Book Description

Praise for The Power of an Hour

"The master at getting what you want from others now tells us how to get what we want from ourselves! This is really a great book, and I recommend it highly-for you, for your team, and for your children."
-Bob Burg, author, Endless Referrals

"If you want to make predictable, systematic change in your life or your business, buy this book. Each chapter is a stand-alone system that results in powerful change . . . fast."
-David Hancock, The Entrepreneurial Publisher, CEO, Morgan James Publishing

"Dave's methods helped me take my business from $0 to $10 million in sales.If you're a creative business owner who wants total focus and massive success, run, don't walk, and get this book!"
-Stephanie Frank, author, The Accidental Millionaire

"The Power of an Hour is a mighty powerful way to sort out your financesby first sorting out yourself!"
-Mark Joyner, #1 bestselling author, The Irresistible Offer

"The disease of the twenty-first century, no matter who you are or what you do,is Time Deficit Disorder. Dave Lakhani offers a brilliant solution in this book.Get it and take the cure-you'll be surprised how much better you feel!"
-David Garfinkel, author, Customers on Demand

Customer Reviews:

A book that will stand the test of time!.......2007-09-19

An Hour! Just one short HOUR! What can the Author Dave Lakhani teach me to do in one hour?

Dave teaches you that your whole life, you very being and your futures can all be determined within how you spend a single hour. When was the last time you sat down, emptied you head of daily rubbish and focus on a task for the solid hour? No interruptions, no requests for coffee, no can you do this for me? I read the book and was astounded about just how much time I give up to help others who should know how to help themselves and all at the determent of my own success.

FEARSOME FOCUS: Remember this term as this book will coin the term and i can be sure that other books, companies and tv programs will start to use the phrase. It's an awesome book and my hat goes off to Dave and the work he has produced. Superb!

Gary May
Author: SELLING: Powerful New Strategies for Sales Success
www.garymay.co.uk

POWERFUL Plan for Change.......2007-09-13

Have you ever found yourself falling behind, overwhelmed or simply not focused on things that will make you more successful?

Dave Lakhani has the answer by simply devoting one hour per week to this blueprint for success. Then, apply fearsome focus, critical thinking and creative thinking and destroy the blocks which impede your success. By applying these guidelines, you will become more creative, avoid distractions and eliminate procrastination and successfully begin to move forward.

This book provides great tools to become self-disciplined and more productive. The advice is applicable to everyone. There are exercises and strategies throughout this book that make sense and work! In the book, there is an exercise that I personally found effective. I was surprised at how much of my time was actually taken up by interruptions and distractions. Try it and you will be amazed too.

I highly recommend this book.

POWER Yourself to Excellence!.......2007-09-10

This book provides a detailed plan to do what we all know we should do to be successful: focus intensely on one critical item of importance and get it done . . . then repeat.

Follow Lakhani's blueprint to give one hour of FEARSOME FOCUS to a key priority. You will exponentially experience the payoffs of becoming more self-disciplined, gaining more clarity, using more of your mental capacity, being more creative, increasing your critical thinking skills, tuning out irrelevant distractions, destroying procrastination and other performance blocks and getting the most out of your precious time. Warp speed ahead!

You might start with only one hour a week and you will quickly see the positive results. If you're like me, you will start using the tools provided in this book several hours each week.

Get more done. Get more of what you want. Prioritize and apply these tools to where YOU know you need it most: business, sales, marketing, networking, personal relationships or finances (not an exclusive list!) Follow Lakhani's guidance in each of these areas to identify your particular challenges and develop a plan to work through them.

In Dave Lakhani style, this book is highly readable and provides regular checklists and step-by-step instruction lists (but that does not mean it will do the work for you - it demands much from the reader as you work through your performance barriers and learn new strategies for excellence). Dave draws on his unique and interesting background including being a highly accomplished martial artist, NLP master and undercover narcotics cop.

As you read this book, you know that you are learning from a man who uses his own advice and performs at an amazing level himself. This man walks his talk. Buy a copy of this book today and learn from a master.

Mollie Marti
Author, "Sales: Powerful New Strategies for Sales Success"

Increase your productivity one hour at a time........2007-09-04

"Power of an Hour" is a must read for anyone wanting to get more productivity out of their day. I was extremely frustrated with all the time wasted each day doing things that didn't really matter. I had started a daily calendar to schedule more "work that matters" and I had even made some headway on being more productive. Then I read "Power of an Hour" and the light came on! I discovered that an hour is a wonderful thing! I am so surprised at just how much I can get done when I "focus" on one project for an hour at a time. Read this book and you will be surprised at just how much work you can get done in one hour!
I now schedule my day around several "must do" projects. Each project receives an hour of "fearsome focus". The "Power of and Hour" shows me how to set up the hour for peak performance. You will love the feeling that comes from getting so much accomplished in just one hour. Put several great hours in your day and you will soon come to realize the "Power of an Hour". My productivity has sky rocketed! Yours will too!

Skyrocket your productivity!.......2007-08-24

I have to tell you I own a lot of books. In fact, I have a full bookshelf of books similar to this one but I would trade them all away for this one. If you find yourself short on time and want to maximize your success I say spring for this book. It is a road map to getting more done and having more of what you want. Frankly my original copy was a gift, since then I have purchased 2 others as gifts for colleagues.

Average customer rating:

Excellent Read
Vince Flynn keeps me coming back for more
Vince Flynn series
Forgettable
The best out there

Executive Power
Vince Flynn
Manufacturer: Pocket Star
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Separation of Power
Memorial Day
Transfer of Power
The Third Option
Term Limits

ASIN: 0743453964
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Book Description

CIA superagent Mitch Rapp's cover has been blown -- just when the world needs him more than ever....

EXECUTIVE POWER

Returning from a covert mission, Mitch Rapp was publicly hailed by the president for his role in the fight against terrorism. After years of working in the shadows, Rapp was caught in the media spotlight -- and marked for death by virtually every terrorist in the world. Now a CIA advisor, Rapp is ready to battle terror far from the front lines. But when a Navy SEAL team in the Philippines is ambushed, all evidence points to a leak within the U.S. State Department. And a greater threat still lurks -- a ruthless assassin working for the most powerful men in the Middle East, who are bent on igniting a world war. With the world watching, Rapp must hold back the flames of Armageddon....

Download Description

"CIA superagent Mitch Rapp battles global terrorism in a high-octane follow-up to The New York Times bestselling Separation of Power -- another chillingly authentic adventure from the master of the political thriller. Mitch Rapp's cover has been blown. After leading a team of commandos deep into Iraq to prevent Saddam Hussein from joining the nuclear arms race, he was publicly hailed by the president as the single most important person in the fight against terrorism. But after years of working covertly behind the scenes, Rapp now lives in the glare of the public spotlight, lauded by the nation and an easy target for virtually every terrorist from Jakarta to London. As special advisor on counterterrorism to CIA director Dr. Irene Kennedy, Rapp is ready to fight the war on terrorism from CIA headquarters rather than the front line. That is, until a platoon of Navy SEALs, sent to the Philippines to save an American family kidnapped by radical Islamic terrorists, is caught in a deadly ambush. The mission had been top secret -- so who told the enemy? All evidence points to the State Department and the Philippine embassy. But a greater threat still lurks. An unknown assassin working closely with the highest powers in the Middle East is bent on igniting war. Now, with the world watching his every move, will Rapp be able to overcome this anonymous foe and once again keep the flames of war from raging? Transporting us into an intriguing geopolitical puzzle full of deadly motives, covert operatives, and all the true-to-life insider detail we've come to expect from Vince Flynn, Executive Power is a high-flying story that delivers shattering suspense with the velocity of a 9mm bullet. "

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Read.......2007-08-06

Great book; thrilling read. Warning: Once you start you won't be able to put it down. Book is also addictive, you'll want to purchase and read the rest in Vince Flynn's series.

Vince Flynn keeps me coming back for more.......2007-07-23

Like all fans of mystery and suspense novels, Vince Flynn consistently provides a good read. In my case he provides a good listen when I am on the road.

Vince Flynn series.......2007-03-08

I bought this series for our son in Alaska and a set for myself. I have not had time to read it yet, but our son tells us it was a good series and he enjoyed reading all the books.

Forgettable.......2007-02-10

I really enjoyed this author's first three books and hoped his previous one was just an aberration. Alas it doesn't seem so. This book was a true disappointment. Mitch Rapp, America's "Go to Guy", seems to be trapped in a comic strip. After being "outed" in the previous volume as a secret CIA assassin, Mitch now works at HQ but refuses to be a desk jockey and takes a "hands-on" approach when trouble erupts - guess where? - The Middle East. (There's a sub-plot involving American hostages in the Philippines which has no bearing on the story except to put Mitch in a steamy jungle wearing camouflage paint.) Previous reviews have suggested this series is reminiscent of books by Forsyth, Ludlum and Clancy, but besides the label "International Thriller", this reader doesn't see it - particularly with this book and its predecessor. This book has none of the subtlety, intricacies of multiple plots, technical knowledge or even character development those authors' books contain. There's no individual style or identity here, just plain vanilla - and stale vanilla at that. As an aside I don't ever remember such a negative outcry by readers concerning a character, (Mitch's new wife), as I've witnessed with this series. And though I agree with the majority, I found this character more obnoxious in the previous book - for the simple fact that she was present on a lot more pages.

The best out there.......2007-01-22

I borrowed my first Vince Flynn book from the "library" at work. I was hooked. Vince Flynn writes about the same subjects as Clancy. I have liked Clancy from the start but he is often too nitpicky about the minutia of his subject matter, often to the detriment to the story. Whereas Flynn gives just enough detail to lend credibility to his writing.

Nobody doubts Clancy is an insider in the community and Flynn leaves no doubt he is one too.

His stories are fast paced and a VERY good read. I recommend ANY book by him. Clancy writes about the Russian cold war, Flynn writes about the war on terror. His main character, Mitch Rapp, is undeniably a complete Bad***, I loved the Jack Ryan character, but time to retire Jack, Mitch is in town.

Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney: Slavery, Secession, and the President's War Powers

Average customer rating:

Two lawyers and a Nation in crisis
Captivating Work of Legal History!
Enough Reviews Have Now Been Written
Good, but not Great
Too Little Taney

Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney: Slavery, Secession, and the President's War Powers
James F. Simon
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Constitutional Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Legal History | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books

The Gettysburg Gospel: The Lincoln Speech That Nobody Knows
Copperheads: The Rise and Fall of Lincoln's Opponents in the North
Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words (Vintage)
Justice for All: Earl Warren and the Nation He Made
The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics

ASIN: 074325032X

Book Description

The clashes between President Abraham Lincoln and Chief Justice Roger B. Taney over slavery, secession, and the president's constitutional war powers went to the heart of Lincoln's presidency. James Simon, author of the acclaimed What Kind of Nation -- an account of the battle between President Thomas Jefferson and Chief Justice John Marshall to define the new nation -- brings to vivid life the passionate struggle during the worst crisis in the nation's history, the Civil War. The issues that underlaid that crisis -- race, states' rights, and the president's wartime authority -- resonate today in the nation's political debate.

Lincoln and Taney's bitter disagreements began with Taney's Dred Scott opinion in 1857, when the chief justice declared that the Constitution did not grant the black man any rights that the white man was bound to honor. In the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates, Lincoln attacked the opinion as a warped judicial interpretation of the Framers' intent and accused Taney of being a member of a pro-slavery national conspiracy.

In his first inaugural address, President Lincoln insisted that the South had no legal right to secede. Taney, who administered the oath of office to Lincoln, believed that the South's secession was legal and in the best interests of both sections of the country.

Once the Civil War began, Lincoln broadly interpreted his constitutional powers as commander in chief to prosecute the war, suspending the writ of habeas corpus, censoring the mails, and authorizing military courts to try civilians for treason. Taney opposed every presidential wartime initiative and openly challenged Lincoln's suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. He accused the president of assuming dictatorial powers in violation of the Constitution. Lincoln ignored Taney's protest, convinced that his actions were both constitutional and necessary to preserve the Union.

Almost 150 years after Lincoln's and Taney's deaths, their words and actions reverberate in constitutional debate and political battle. Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney tells their dramatic story in fascinating detail.

Customer Reviews:

Two lawyers and a Nation in crisis.......2007-10-05

It should be widely known that during the greatest crisis that has faced the US, the Civil War, Lincoln suspended the rights of habeas corpus (trial by jury) and essential bent the Constitution in order to save the Union. In James Simon's book "Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney: Slavery, Secession, and the President's War Powers" he gives us a fairly balanced approach in examining both sides of the issues facing the President and the Supreme Court as it relates to the Constitution and civil liberties. As a law professor Simon examines Justice Taney's rulings and Lincoln's position on civil matters that were affecting the Nation. His book shows how much of an uphill battle Justice Taney had to face when trying to fight the challenges to individual liberties. As the inevitable war approached, Lincoln didn't wait for Congress to return to session. He did all in his power to block any additional states from turning to help the Confederacy. This was especially true in Maryland Justice Taney's home state. Lincoln took the broad approach to Constitutional matters believing that he knew what the Founding Fathers had constitutionally desired for the Nation. Justice Taney maintained a more narrow Jeffersonian state's view. Simon relates Taney's early views expressed in a banking opinion while serving as Andrew Jackson's Attorney General. Reflecting Taney's words Andrew Jackson's states, "The opinion of the Supreme Court Judges has no more authority over Congress than the opinion of congress has over the Judges, and on that point the President is independent of both" Jackson wrote. "The authority of the Supreme Court must not, therefore, be permitted to control Congress or the Executive when acting in their legislative capacities, but to have only such influence as the force of their reasoning may deserve." As Chief Justice during the Lincoln administration, Taney found himself greatly challenged to maintain this opinion. Simon covers the infamous "Dred Scott vs Sanford" opinion that haunted Taney and how it became a catalyst to move Lincoln forward and into the Presidency. Both Taney and Lincoln had respect for the rule of law. They both desired peace. Taney was willing to allow the states to peaceable leave the Union in order to prevent civil war. Simon reveals that Lincoln's goal was to repair the rupture to the constitutional government established by the framers even if that meant civil war.

This is an important read in helping to understand the extraordinary powers assumed by the executive, with the consent of Congress, in times of emergencies and how when the emergency passes should be yielded up. In the epilogue Simon goes over several later Presidents and their use of war powers. He explains how Congress is the best check on the growing assumptions of Presidential war powers. The Supreme Court has been very reluctant to curb the president's powers especially when the Nation's security is at risk.

Keeping everything in Civil War context shows how much Lincoln "appreciated that the strength of the Union lay not in the force of arms but in the liberties that were guaranteed by the open, and sometimes heated, exchange of ideas"..."He didn't use this authority to trample on the civil liberties that the writ of habeas corpus was meant to protect". Had Lincoln imprisoned and kept imprisoned anyone just because they were unpopular would have meant the failure of the constitution as well as the failure of civilization and hello totalitarianism. Today as we face issue with regards to our own personal liberties, it is important to stay vigilant so that our rights aren't abused beyond the constitutional law. Simon lays open two legal minds in a time of tremendous pressure. Well worth the read to better understand this critical crossroad in US history.

Captivating Work of Legal History!.......2007-07-28

James Simon has been making a career out of writing great books that profile legal/political controversies. He has also written one about the Jefferson/Marshall, and then the Black/Frankfurter, fights. But not to worry. They are entertaining, all; this one is no exception.

The primary concern of this book is to explore the differing visions - on practically all issues - between then president elect Lincoln and then Supreme Court Chief Justice Taney. Lincoln, from Illinois, was a moderate republican who believed in gradual emancipation of slavery and - most importantly here - sweeping presidential war powers combined with the illegality of Southern seccession. Taney, by contrast, was a quiet Baltimorean and democrat who believed in states rights, fidelity to (a more narrow view of the) Constitution, even during times of war, and the states rights to choose whether to condone slavery. Needless to say for those who know even the most cursory history - Lincoln won.

While Simon does treat Taney with a tiny bit of hkostility, he is very careful to give him credit when credit is due. One of the main focuses of the book - the rightfully infamous decision in Dred Scott v Sandford, which saw Taney proclaim that Scott, a black man, could not bring a suit as he was not legally a person - is hard to justify by even the most generous legal mind. And Simon rightfully and flatly treats it to a stinging critique. This, as with several other Tany zingers.

But SImon is also quick to point out that Taney wss first and foremost concerned with civil liberties during war time, against the president's sometimes Orwellian actions, such as his acts to shut down newspapers that did not sympathize with the Union, or his actions - yes, it is true - to arrest a priest who did not pray for the Union. When these are looked at by Simon, Taney comes out with at least some dignity.

This book covers, first, both men's early years before going into the pre-civil war acts like Dred Scott and follows the trajectory of the entire civil war, highlighting the president's actions therein and Taney's (often ignored) responses to them. Legalese - have no fear - is kept to a minimum, and, in fact, the entire book reads like a historical thriller with a bit of courtroom drama.

On a final note, I find this book prescient for today's times, becasue many of the debates that Taney and Lincoln had are debates we ourselves are having in the US today. Whether or not military tributnals can or should supplant judicial courts, whether habeas corpus can be suspended in war time, what it even means to bve at war (the debate then was whether or not you can be at war with your own country men, today it is whether you can be at war with a group not a state). Finally, there is whether the president's war powers give the president virtually unlimited authority to ignore other constitutional provisions. Prescient indeed!

Anyhow, this is a good read for anyone interested in an in-depth study of the Civil WAr period or the legal issues rife therein.

Enough Reviews Have Now Been Written.......2007-04-21

Actually, more than enough has now been written about this book in the reviews above. One wishes there had been a more detailed analysis of Taney's pre-Lincoln opinions, a more detailed analysis of his anti-Presidential opinions, and a little less repetition of the well-trod facts of Lincoln's life. But nothwithstanding all this, it was a quick paced easily readable way to become re-acquainted with this too often ignored clash over executive power. And it provides much fodder for discussion of how W is using executive power in our time.....

Good, but not Great.......2007-03-10

Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney was a quick read (about 280 pages), which did not shed much new light on Lincoln or his presidency. The parts on Taney were interesting when you came across them, but the book itself was not balanced. Taney comes across as a "great" and fair Chief Justice untill the Dred Scott decision in 1857, and then he becomes blinded by his 'State's Rights' philosophy. This bias affects most of his post-Dred Scott rulings, and diminishes Taney's status as a potentially great Chief Justice. The book is interesting in that it really details just how far Lincoln stretched his interpretation of the Constitution during the Civil War, but the battles between Taney and Lincoln are limmitted. This book is interesting and good, but not great.

Too Little Taney.......2007-02-19

This book does offer quite a bit of information about the divergent evolution of Lincoln and Taney from their somewhat common beginnings, but unfortunately stops short of giving us a full insight into why Taney, who freed the majority of his slaves and personally abhored slavery, would defend it so vehemently and unrigorously in his Dred Scott decision. All the stuff on Lincoln is good, but I've seen it done more eloquently elsewhere (including his suspension of the writ of habeas corpus); I really expected more on Taney.

As a Catholic, I would have loved to see more on Taney's Catholicism than a mere mention of it and the name of his parish church -- perhaps how his views either for or against slavery and states rights were formed there. But the author makes mention of and dismisses this religious side in a few short sentences, while hinting that Taney was an intensely religious, if conflicted, individual. How can one arrive at a true understanding of Taney without knowing this dimension of his character?

Sadly, Taney himself occupies somewhat less than half of the book, and quotations from (and any extensive analysis of) his decisions other than Dred Scott are lacking. The author spends about as much time on Douglas as he does on Taney (Douglas' name could be added to book's title without falsity).

Finally, Simon, in his epilogue, moves to the present and makes this comment on the current political situation compared with Lincoln's: "And he did not attempt to escape judicial scrutiny in the name of national security, as the Bush administration has repeatedly done in prosecuting the War on Terrorism, which, unlike the Civil War, has no discernible end." In the book itself, Simon has Lincoln completely ignoring Taney's pronouncements on the writ of habeas corpus and packing the Court with three new pro-Lincoln justices to assure a good decision on the Prize Cases. He furthermore points out that, until quite late, the Civil War had no discernible end either, with defeat after defeat dogging the Union forces during the early and middle portions of the war. Simon's final intrusion of his own modern politics (conflicted with his admiration of Lincoln's strong prosecution of the war against slavery) provides a dissonant counterpoint to the rest of the book.

Average customer rating:

An excellent book on leadership and transformation... AND...
An Incredible Personal Transformation Reference Book
A must read book for successful managers and executives
Good Enough to Recommend to Clients!
Not just for those who want to do the impossible

The Last Word on Power
Tracy Goss
Manufacturer: Currency
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life
Getting Real: Ten Truth Skills You Need to Live an Authentic Life
Coaching : Evoking Excellence in Others
Coaching to the Human Soul Ontological Coaching and Deep Change, Vol. 1
Language and the Pursuit of Happiness

ASIN: 038547492X
Release Date: 1995-12-01

Book Description

Today's leaders are reinventing everything but themselves, and this is why so many attempts to revolutionize business fail. The last word on power is the key method in reinventing executives so they can take on "a mission impossible" based on a course designed and run exclusively for the past fifteen years by Tracy Goss. Do you want to do work that is worthy of your time and talent? Do you want to make your mark on your company, industry, community? Are you dissatisfied with the fact that reengineering, quality improvements, and other changes never make a lasting impact? Then you need to go beyond the techniques of improvement and learn the skills of being extraordinary. The power to be extraordinary is not one we are born with. It's not the power to fix what's wrong or improve what's right. It is a power one learns in a course that for the past fifteen years has been designed and run exclusively for top executives by consultant Tracy Goss. For the first time, Goss makes her coursework available to the general reader in The Last Word On Power. Goss's unique methodology shows how "you can put at risk the success you have achieved for the 'possibility' you can be." She positions executives to take on the future they dream about. She teaches how to behave differently so you can be free of constraints from the past. She shows how you can be at home in an environment in which you are constantly surrounded by threats, and how to transcend the ordinary so that you can make the impossible happen. Her work has resulted in important life changes and organizational reinventions throughout the world.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent book on leadership and transformation... AND..........2007-04-07

I have to say that I don't feel it gives enough credit to its source which is Werner Erhard and 'The Landmark Forum' which he created. The credit to Werner is about 5 lines in the introduction and yet the book basically is the 'guts' of The Landmark Forum with an application to business. Graduates of the Forum will be familiar with all the concepts since there's relatively little changes or adaptation of them, just an application to the business and leadership context. The book is good, very good even, although major credit should be given where major credit is due, and this is Werner's work, ideas and philosophy and not the original ideas of the author. Let me move on :) The author has applied Werner's concepts to a business context and provide lots of examples in this book from her consulting practice and experience which makes it even more valuable.

That said, I the ideas are powerful. As another reviewer stated, it will be most powerful for those who have the background of the Forum or EST who will be familiar with the tools, ideas and 'distinctions' and (hopefully) will have used them. Some people may have an issue or judgment with either of those bodies due to their experiences, biases, hearsay or opinions of either Landmark, The Forum, EST or Werner himself although that doesn't take away from the power of the tools or the work. I'd prefer to take what works and leave what doesn't. I've had 'interesting' experiences with the organisation and their staff and methods... however, that doesn't detract from the value I've received from the tools.

For those that don't have that background, there's a lot in there anyway. In my rough and ready summary, it's basically a look at how we frame up the world and are in the world and how that can be unwound so that we're not trapped by our past, habits and ways of thinking and being. Once we understand that we can step outside of that 'paradigm' as such and create the kind of powerful results in our lives that may have eluded us... or not... and that's the game. Some of the ideas include how we listen, the power of context, our winning strategy for achieving success in the world and how that limits us, and how to reinvent ourselves as leaders and create possibility. (I note here that Amazon says some people bought The Art of Possibility instead of this book - that's another exceptional book, yet very different from this one). There are exercises and reflections in this book that are powerful (although many times more powerful when you experience them as in the Forum) and the book is applied to the business context and has plenty of examples.

I highly recommend this book for people looking for new ways of thinking about business and leadership. I think that people unfamiliar with the concepts and language (which are quite unique to Landmark) may actually experience difficulty in applying them without a guide or having 'experienced' them. Nonetheless, most readers would most likely take away several powerful ideas and tools should they decide to apply and learn from them. However, the greatest benefit would come from experiencing the work directly, either.. through the author's workshop or something like the very powerful Landmark Forum... the source of this work!

An Incredible Personal Transformation Reference Book.......2004-02-21

Are you committed to, or even interested in, accommplishing something that looks impossible to achieve? Are you willing to transform yourself to make the impossible possible? If you are, this book by Tracy Goss will provide you a roadmap to reinvent yourself. The work is not easy; it's like developing mastery in any field, this one being the reinvention of yourself. The stages or practices related to your personal transformation are written in an easily-understood way, yet when used as a continuing reference, develop deeper and more valuable meaning as you go back to them time and again in your quest for mastery.

A must read book for successful managers and executives.......2003-11-10

There are many success 101 books available today. This is not one of them. This book is written for people who have been successful and find themselves stuck at a plateau arising out of the very strategy that made them successful. The Last Word on Power is the critical next step, which invite its readers to leave the restraining safety of what has worked in order to do what has up until now been impossible.

For managers and executives living in a world where simply making attainable continuous improvements is not enough, "The Last Word on Power" is a must read. Written in powerful thought-provoking language, readers will find this book impossible to put down until finished and unforgettable thereafter.

I highly recommend it.

Joe Santana,
Coauthor Manage I.T.

Good Enough to Recommend to Clients!.......2003-09-11

Tracy Goss departs from the tired worlds of either the boring or sophmorically enthusiastic management books and gives us a book good enough to recommend to our own clients. One of my clients, a highly intelligent executive and a voracious business book reader, said "Whoa! You didn't tell me I would actually have to think to read this!" Tracy takes management consulting to unprecedented heights and gives those of us who pay sharp attention to the human factor as it relates to business success a book worthy of our profession.

Not just for those who want to do the impossible.......2003-08-14

I found this a fairly easy book to read and yet it had a significant impact on how I see myself and my approach to my work. And each time I read the book I get more out of it, there's another layer of the onion to peel back. This is not just for those who want to do the impossible, it's for anyone who wants to see the mechanisms that control their life - and with seeing comes power!

amBITCHous: (def.) A Woman Who: 1. Makes more money 2. has more power 3. gets the recognition she deserves 4. has the determination to go after her dreams and

Average customer rating:

great advice that I plan to incorporate into my life
Yes, Please.
Great Book!
About that pay differential...
We All Need This Book

amBITCHous: (def.) A Woman Who: 1. Makes more money 2. has more power 3. gets the recognition she deserves 4. has the determination to go after her dreams and
Debra Condren
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Motivation & Self-Improvement | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Money Management for Women | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management & Leadership | Women & Business | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World With Kindness
Nice Girls DO Get The Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results
The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss (Without Being a Bitch): Valuable Lessons, Smart Suggestions, and True Stories for Succeeding as the Chick-in-Charge
Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers
What You Don't Know and Your Boss Won't Tell You: Advice from Senior Female Executives on What You Need to Succeed

ASIN: 0767923138
Release Date: 2006-12-26

Book Description

Wouldn’t it be great if you could be audaciously ambitious and happy at the same time?
You can, and you will.

“I’m here to tell you that all of your priorities—personal and ambitious career goals alike—can fit together harmoniously. I’ll show you how, like thousands of women I’ve worked with over the years, you can make more money, earn the credit and recognition you deserve, have more power, and be as ambitious as you want to be. I’ll show you how you can be ambitchous without compromising your ethics and integrity. I’ll show you that you can feel worthy and entitled to all of this without fear that you risk sacrificing your desire to have a full, happy personal life and without being afraid that you’ll be less of a woman. It’s worked for me. It’s worked for countless ambitchous women I’ve advised. It will work for you.”
—From amBITCHous

We women aren’t advancing in our careers the way we should. We’re not making the money we deserve or getting the fulfillment we desire. And this time it’s not men who are holding us back. This time we’re doing it to ourselves, because ambition—for us—is still a dirty word.
Debra Condren has coached thousands of women at every level—from those just starting out to the most powerful female executives in the United States—and each one possesses the same fear: if she goes after her dream, she’ll be seen as selfish, bitchy, a bad wife, or bad mother. But it’s exactly this fear of ambition that has forced women to leave the best part of themselves—their dreams, their great talents—by the roadside, rendering them less able to be the whole people they should be in every area of their lives.
Condren has a new message and mission: to remind women that ambition is a virtue, not a vice. Ambition is the best of who we are.
The real way to have a great life is to see ambition as a part of your value system to which you must give equal attention, along with the other priorities you hold dear, including your spouse, your children, and your friends. In amBITCHous, Dr. Condren offers fresh, powerful tools for reclaiming your dreams. Her eight amBITCHous Rules provide concrete, innovative solutions to the everyday struggles we as women face, like taking credit, deflecting detractors, and handling confrontation, so that you can become more powerful and fulfilled at work and more satisfied at home. You can redefine your ambition in the face of social sanctions and unapologetically go after your dreams without sacrificing the rest of your life.
You owe it to yourself and the world to make the contribution you were born to make. Debra Condren will show you how to do it.

“A defiant charge to women to 'reclaim ambition as a virtue'…Ms. Condren, who has been paying attention all along, [has] worked out a way to make charm and ambition pay."
–New York Times
“Debra Condren challenges women to see ambition as a virtue and to take credit for winning at work and at home. …It’s not that women must ignore the needs of others, but they need to recognize and prioritize their own needs.”
– The Dallas Morning News

Customer Reviews:

great advice that I plan to incorporate into my life.......2007-08-08

After hearing Debra Condren interviewed on a podcast about how women undermine their own ambitions, I couldn't wait to read her book. I related to her thesis. Sometimes, out of fear of looking like I have a huge ego, I don't even try to take on projects that I know I'm capable of. In other words, I need to learn how to be a little more ambitchous.

That word is Condren's way of describing the double standard facing women. As she puts it, "Ambitious men are go-getters, but ambitious women are bitches." She illustrates her point with Madonna and Carly Fiorina. Media stories about both of them tend to focus on their faults instead of their accomplishments. (Perhaps we could add Paris Hilton to that list.)

Through interviews with other women and her work as a business coach, Condren has developed strategies to help women overcome the fear of being ambitious. She bemoans the fact that many advice books suggest that achieving "balance" requires career sacrifices. Nonsense, she says. Putting your career ambitions first makes you a better person, she argues, because you will be a happier one. "You must regard your deepest career aspirations as unconditionally sacrosanct," she writes.

While the pep talk is inspiring, the real value of this book lies in its concrete tips. She recommends asking for the raise you deserve, claiming credit when it's due, asking for advice from women you respect, and taking regular sabbaticals to make sure you are dreaming big. All of it is great advice that I plan to incorporate into my life.

And when I'm done with this book, I can think of more than a few friends I'd like to pass it on to.

Yes, Please........2007-08-04

Sick of reading titles that are meant to impart wisdom on how I could be a better lady rather than a better business woman, I admit to a certain hesitancy regarding first purchasing amBITCHous... All of my concerns were for naught -- by the time I finished the introduction, Dr. Condren had a new fan.

I've always considered myself an ambitious woman -- but I immediately recognized some of the problems that the case studies in this book exemplified: I've stepped down from taking credit for things I've done, I have felt myself emotionally battered by those who wish to "steal my thunder," and -- goodness knows -- I've battled with the idea that I am a bad mother, woman, person for wanting a career as much (or sometimes more than) my male counterparts.

Just recognizing those conflicts would've made this book a keeper. But by adding tools and suggestions for overcoming them? Like I said... Dr. Condren has a new fan.

-- Nadia Cornier
CEO, COO, CFO, janitor, mother, author and anything else you can think of
Firebrand Literary
[...]

Great Book!.......2007-05-23

I thought this book was an excellent read and I felt very empowered after reading it. I highly recommend this book for any woman at any stage in her career.

I think the author addresses several issues that women encounter. I really, really enjoyed it and I will pass the word about this book.

About that pay differential..........2007-05-20

The data still come in that women earn about 80 cents for every dollar a man earns. 44% of that wage gap can be attributed to WHAT women do (pink collar jobs, taking time to raise children) and a further 18% of the gap was associated with workplace characteristics such as WHERE women work. But the remaining 38% of the wage gap cannot be explained.

Author Condren attempts to teach women skills to bridge that considerable gap. Not since Hardball for Women has someone tried to instruct women how to play the game to win.

The advice covers quite a range, from avoiding self-sabotaging female behavior (submissive, apologetic false modesty) to blowing your own horn, deactivating detractors and saboteurs, acquiring allies, getting coaching and negotiation skills. Landing a job with the right pay can have cascading consequences downstream to the rest of your career, so this is advice you really can't afford to ignore.

I'd say "RECOMMENDED" but I think the right word here is "ESSENTIAL."

We All Need This Book.......2007-05-01

I think I'm a pretty smart woman and business owner, but now and then, I find that I still have to remind myself to beware of the alligators hiding in the grass, potentially ready to bite my ankles in a new business situation. What I need on those occasions is my very own Fairy Businessmother, and Debra Condren is it. Gazing down at me with her loving Glenda-the Good Witch of the North adoration, Condren's words consistently give me a good kick in the rear and her undying permission --not to apologize for asking for what I want and more importantly, getting it. I do not have to be a sitting duck for the easily threatened/overly compensating associate with a huge ego who waits for the perfect moment for a stealth ambush. (We've all had this happen). I do not have to give away my power, credit for my work or my talents just because I'm asked to. Condren says it's okay to say no, no, no. I will still be a fabulous person and a brilliant business woman. It's not that I don't already know many of these things; it's just that like you, I seem to forget them and to need to be reminded of them regularly lest I succumb and slip into my earliest childhood dramas and traumas. NOW is the time for me to use what I've got to accomplish what I'm meant to do in the world. And Condren's is the voice I want permanently inside my head to guide me on the journey.

Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents: The Politics of Leadership from Roosevelt to Reagan

Average customer rating:

Classic, but outdated
Machiavelli in the White House
One of three seminal works on the Presidency
still useful after all these years...
Don't stop half way through

Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents: The Politics of Leadership from Roosevelt to Reagan
Richard E. Neustadt
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History & Theory | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Leadership | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Going Public: New Strategies of Presidential Leadership
The Politics Presidents Make: Leadership from John Adams to Bill Clinton
The Presidency And The Political System
Congress: The Electoral Connection, Second Edition
The Presidential Difference: Leadership Style from FDR to George W. Bush

ASIN: 0029227968

Customer Reviews:

Classic, but outdated.......2005-04-20

Neustadt's work has been praised by many other reviewers here, and I won't disagree that this is a classic that must be read by any serious student of the American presidency. Nonetheless, his thesis is quite outdated and has been superceded by more recent scholarship.

Neustadt's fatal flaw is to assume that the individual person in the office is the only thing that matters - if that person has the right set of skills, he can successfully bargain to get his goals accomplished. However, he doesn't pay enough attention to the role other institutions may play in constraining the president's ability to get what he wants, or how increased presidential power may give the president new resources with which to deal with the other branches.

Neustadt also assumes that all presidents before FDR were "pre-modern" and "mere clerks of the office." This perspective has been proven false in several respects. First off, Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson clearly acted like "modern" presidents in many respects. Secondly, there are numerous examples of "pre-modern" presidents acting like the modern ones: even the much-reviled Rutherford B. Hayes acted like the modern presidents when appointing executive branch officials. Others such as Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, Lincoln, etc., are left out altogether.

If you want to read cutting-edge work that deals with these shortcomings, take a look at Stephen Skowronek's book on the presidency instead.

Machiavelli in the White House.......2004-03-24

This is indeed one the classics in the field of presidential studies. Neustadt's contribution, although somewhat commonsensical at first glance, is that despite the huge increase in formal powers that the president has acquired over the years, the most fundamental power the president possesses is the power to persuade.

The president must persuade other independently elected officials to do as he sees fit. This, in a city such as Washington DC where people have seen powerful politicians come and go over the years, is easier said than done. The president must be attuned to the nuances of political issues and not allow himself to become cut off from the political back and forth by his retinue of aides. He must retain the prerogative of making the final political decision and avoid becoming a clerk and simply ratifying the decisions made form by the staff and the bureaucracy. Further, he must define what is in his political self interest.

The president does so by keeping himself informed, by employing a system of information that allows him to be at the center and making real decisions; and by carefully husbanding the power and carefully cultivating the image of the president. While the president does posses the power to command, instances where he must rely on command are a prima facie failure of persuasion.

Finally, the president must ensure that others understand his power. He must be able to strike a modicum of fear into both his allies and his foes. In the political sense, this means the ability to hurt someone electorally. If I as the president can campaign against you and make it stick, you will be more likely to fear me and be persuaded by my requests.

This is not an easy read, but if you are involved as a student of politics you WILL read this book at some point. A classic and well worth the effort.

John C. McKee

One of three seminal works on the Presidency.......2000-04-26

Neustadt's book describes one of three theories about Presidents. Everyone knows that there is a balance of power between the judiciary, the legislative and the executive branches. Neustadt claims that the President is the weak leg of the stool and that he is unable to govern alone. He must use his powers of persuasion in order to convince the other branches of the government to do his bidding.

As part of a graduate program in political science with a concentration on the United States, you will read this book. If you don't, I am happy to go out on a limb and say that there is something wrong with your program!

This is one of the three seminal works available on the Presidency. There are others but this is one of the big guns. If you read this book, along with Corwin's "Presidential Power" and Rossiter's "The American Presidency", you'll understand all three theories of presidential power: the weak President (Neustadt), the strong President (Corwin) and the President wearing many hats (Rossiter). In reality, all three are correct.

It's interesting but a scholarly read. It's not a book you'd pick up for light after dinner reading.

still useful after all these years..........2000-04-19

The 1960 edition of Presidential Power has had a long shelf-life, and has grown over time to append chapters on post-Eisenhower presidents. But Neustadt's original thesis -- that presidents are Constitutionally weak, not strong, and that they therefore must leverage their bargaining advantages to the fullest if they want to be effective leaders -- still holds up. (Think the 104th Congress here.) It's hard to skim Neustadt -- he writes the old-fashioned way, in long, graceful sentences and paragraphs that actually hang together. But it's well worth while to settle in and get a sense of what it takes to be president. It's not clear that 2000 is going to be a good year for the American polity...

Don't stop half way through.......1999-04-07

About half of the way through the book, Neustadt seemed to be saying the same things over and over again. I almost stopped reading. However the incredible tidbits of advice in the first half encouraged me to continue. It was certainly worth it. The last 5 or 6 chapters were written over the period between the Kennedy assasination and the end of the Reagan Administration, allowing Neustadt to ammend many of his ideas from the first 8 chapters (originally published in 1960) making the book far more lively. A wonderful read for those with a weak knowledge of the last 50 years. If you know a lot about the Korean War, Bay of Pigs, or Iran-Contra, the book may be a little too much review. Otherwise it is fabulous.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books