All Too Human: A Political Education

by George Stephanopoulos

Book Overview

All Too Human is a new-generation political memoir, written from the refreshing perspective of one who got his hands on the levers of awesome power at an early age. At thirty, the author was at Bill Clinton's side during the presidential campaign of 1992, & for the next five years he was rarely more than a step away from the president & his other advisers at every important moment of the first term. What Liar's Poker did to Wall Street, this book...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316929190
• ISBN13: 9780316929196
• Release Date: April 1999
• Publisher: Little Brown and Company
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Case History of "Stalled" Thinking about Governing Processes

This book says a lot about our governmental processes that suggests room for improvement. Most people will think about the book from a political, ethical or personal perspective, so I thought it would be helpful to consider the management lessons instead. As portrayed in All Too Human, the Clinton administration displayed many of the most significant forms of "stalled" thinking that delay human progress. For example, decisions were often made at the last minute or delayed for months, unnecessarily (deomonstrating the procrastination stall). A contributing factor was that everyone was allowed their say, time and time again, making for a hopeless bureaucrataic stall. This tendency led to little time to decide what to say about the decision after it had made so a lot of miscommunications occur (creating communications stalls). The people in the White House often did not know how they were supposed to do their jobs (contributing to a misconception stall). They were also slow to understand that the voter anger that led to the Republican success in 1994 was something they were going to have to accommodate (the result of a disbelief stall). Further, the administration did not want anyone to look too closely at controversial areas about the Clinton's past dealings (an ugly duckling stall that affected the credibility of those who defended actions that later turned out to be different than initially portrayed). Two centuries of government had also developed a lot of precedent that made lawyers and poltical advisors limit the President's choices (exhibiting the tradition stall). Perhaps the most significant lesson is that the administration was slow to perceive that creating good processes for managing government was important. This seems related to the inexperience of many with government at the national level, and the extreme talent of the people at the top who felt confident that they could "wing it" successfully. The good news is that beginning with Leon Panetta's appointment, the White House learned to put more stock in management processes. One lesson of All Too Human is that humans can learn, improve by learning from their mistakes, and go on to make great progress. That seems to have begun to happen before Mr. S. left the White House. With Robert Rubin at Treasury, we saw the contrast of a well-functioning management process. The potential is still there for 2,000 percent solutions (getting 20 times the normal rate of progress or the same progress in 1/20 the amount of time). Our economic performance versus the rest of the world seems to be headed in that direction. With better government processes (to elect and to govern), we can hope for an even brighter tomorrow. Every serious person who wants to learn how to manage better (and citizen who wants to mprove our country) MUST READ THIS BOOK. This is especially timely as we end the 2004 presidential election campaign. I hope the candidates are asked early and often about how they will impr

Very Pleased With This Honest Account

Bravo George! It's a very interesting look into the White House and the intelligence and political finesse it takes just to survive!!I felt that George was being very candid when trying to discribe his love/hate relationship with President Clinton, and in the end having to painfully evaluate him as a very flawedman. The book also shows Hillary Clinton, James Carville, Bugalaand others (including Dick Morris) in an interesting light. Loved the book...felt like I was in the White House myself!!

Moving account

Providing riveting commentary on behind the scenes of the 1992 Clinton presidential campaign and early white house years, George Stephanopolous saw it all during his tenure as Clinton's aide, the good, the bad and the outright surreal. This is not to say that it is an anti-Clinton polemic by any means. Indeed Stephanopolous still likes his former boss as a person, and one gets the feeling he was genuinely shocked and hurt by the allegations and revelations that later developed about a certain intern. Were he not so passionate about the ideals he believed in, even as characters such as Dick Morris siphoned away the populist spin, he would have not cared as much as he did when he did. If the early Clinton White House can be faulted for being left of center by some people, the intentions by early Clinton staffers were genuinely motivated out of concern for the less fortunate and maligned. Their Ivy league idealism gave younger gen-xers such as myself hope that we would be better represented by this administration. Whatever Clinton's real intentions, Stephanopolus wanted to celebrate diversity and progressive ideals through the public policy process. While this idealism would theoretically seem ingrating, the author weaves his tale in such a way to draw sympathy from the reader. Stephenopolus is not a faceless bureaucrat, but somebody with real feelings and dreams. Aside from the heavy politics, there are lighter moments woven into the book as well such as the revelation that Vice President Gore's sense of humor hilariously contrasted with his staid public image. Even administration devotees like myself were laughing along at the punch lines. Less funny however is the stress encountered by the author. Despite his stellar academic and political career, he never seemed to know how to effectively manage stress until it was too late. Of course by then, he desperately needed to preserve his health and thus resigned. I am concerned how a Columbia graduate could have remained oblivious to his own well-being until it affected his dream job and even his personal relationships with his girlfriend. Neverless, this is a book that will leave all readers--irespective of political affiliation-impressed.

Damn good book

An interesting read that shares much about the life and times in the political world in which we live. Enjoyed it greatly.

Honest story of personal success, failure inside the beltway

I think some readers and reviewers are missing the point of _All too Human_. In writing this memoir, Mr. Stephanopoulos is NOT attempting to give his audience an all-access look at the private lives of Bill and Hillary. He is offering us a look at HIS life and times (of which the Clintons, obviously, were an integral part) and he does so with candor and class. This tome is honest, forthright, and the author doesn't hedge on his true thoughts and opinions of his past situations, performance, peers, and boss (qualities many of the principles highlighted in the book are famous for not possessing). I praise his frank recounting of how he was working for himself as well as for the president and his agenda. Those who chide Stephanoulos for striving for personal success, and telling us how he pursued it, need to reevaluate their own career motives before they pass judgement. This book is strongly recommended to any young person eager to see what it takes to make it in DC politics and still have a conscience. And, as you read this, bear in mind that I'M A REPUBLICAN! Kudos to George for a job well done.