Book Description
Arguing that the power in America is concentrated in large institutions, this book studies the people at the top of these institutions—who they are, how much power they wield, and how they came to power. Tom Dye has chronicled the national leadership since the Nixon-Ford years, each edition featuring the current president and his staff. The seventh edition focuses on the new Bush administration and the contrast it will bring to Washington following 8 years of Clinton dominance. The commentary is supported by years of data analysis involving more than 7000 institutional elites, which includes governmental and corporate leaders. This edition describes the return of the Bush dynasty to power. It includes a new chapter on “The Money Elite”, describing the power of the banking and financial community as well as the Federal Reserve Board; Chapter 7 now covers important issues concerning elite interlocking, recruitment, social characteristics, class, and factionalism; the discussion of “How Institutional Leaders Make Public Policy” has been expanded greatly in Chapter 8; several discussions have been added, including “The Globalization of Economic Power,” “The Battle for IBM,” “Alan Greenspan: Ruling over Money,” “Hillary Clinton: Power and Ambition,” and “Liberal and Conservative Factions among Elites”.
Customer Reviews:
Elite View of American Politics.......2003-05-04
Pretty good book about political elites in the United States. Its strongest point is its empirical discussion of personalities and of groups that have a lot of power in America. Even though the book has been through seven editions, including one following election 2000, some information needs to be updated. This is true, for example, of the discussion about the richest people in America.
The theoretical model I found a bit tangled and not one hundred percent persuasive. I am on the side of the author as far as the major thesis, but I think theoretically this is not the last word on the elite theory of American politics, nor is the book astonishingly creative from the theoretical standpoint.
I also needed more persuasion as far as some specific hypotheses. For example the role of endowments and foundations was presented as a truly major role. Most textbooks on American politics do not even mention endowments and foundations that support academic and scientific research. Much less do most textbooks on the subject consider endowments and foundations to be key players.
Nevertheless, it is a clear no-nonsense book and easy to read, especially if you are interested in politics. I thought it had a nice introductory chapter, paying homage to some of the early great elite theorists, such as Vifredo Pareto, Robert Michels, and Gaetano Mosca.
I recommend it to undergraduate students in American politics and political theory.
Book Description
The first comprehensive inside look at the investigation into Al Qaeda, and at John O፥ill, the FBI counter–terrorism agent who warned that an attack like September 11 was imminent.
For many people, September 11 was the day ೨e unimaginableߨappened. But one FBI agent, John O፥ill, had repeatedly warned the US Government that such an attack was possible. Ironically, O፥ill lost his own life on September 11, just days after beginning a new job as head of security for the World Trade Center.
As one of the FBI's foremost counter–terrorism experts, John O፥ill played a leading role in almost every major investigation of terrorism against Americans in the past decade. O፥ill was a dashing, larger–than–life character who irritated many members of US and foreign governments with his aggressive, hands–on tactics and his insistent, repeated warnings about the possibility of an attack on US soil.
Disillusioned by his experiences with the FBI, O፥ill left governmental service to assume the position of chief of security for the Twin Towers in August 2001. Full of twists and turns, John O፥ill's tragic story reveals how one man's unheeded warnings came back to haunt the country he worked so hard to defend.
Customer Reviews:
True Grit..........2007-03-29
John O'Neill grew up in Atlantic City, NJ watching the FBI on TV on Sunday nights. All he ever wanted to do was be an FBI agent and serve his country. The son of working class folks who ran a taxi cab business he dedicated himself to be the finest and fulfilled his childhood dreams. Jonh went to my high-school and lived 5 minutes from where I grew up, I never knew him but after reading this fine Murray Weiss biography I feel I know him as a brother. This book will infuriate you as John O'Neill tries to warn everyone in the government of an impending doom with Bin Laden, who he studied and profiled, much to his chagrin no one listened. How ironic that after so much frustration with the FBI bureacracy and a Clinton Administration consumed by the presidents personal travails that John O'Neill resigns to take over security operations at the World Trade Center one week before 9/11. He perished in the collapse of the towers after he was safely out. He ran back in to try to save people. This book will move you, John O'Neill's story will stay with you. Did he have his own style and personal troubles, sure, but his life is what you will remember, his dedication to his job and the fact that maybe if a few more higher ups had listened to him this tragedy could have been averted. With men like this, you'll believe our country is in good hands as far as the war with terrorism is concerned. It's upper management we should be worried about.
John O'Neil is a true hero. This book is the basis for the ABC drama on 9/11........2006-09-12
John O'Neill was the most dedicated member of the FBI who committed his life to fighting crime and, ultimately, terrorism. His efforts were discouraged by bureaucracy, ignorance, and the Clinton administration. Read firsthand in this book how he was so close to saving much anguish, sorrow and death in the United States but was stopped in his tracks by others too inept to acknowledge the vision he had for stopping the unfortunate acts of terrorism in New York and Yemen. The cruelest irony is that he died in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in charge of security after he retired from the FBI due to frustration.
Ironic and captivating.......2006-06-21
This is an interesting book on an unusual subject. People like John O'Neill are not usually the subjects of biographies. He wasn't anywhere near prominent enough, and that usually means that someone like O'Neill winds up being a footnote in a book about someone else. Instead, O'Neill was the FBI agent in charge of International security in New York City, and spent much of the 90s as the guy in the FBI who was the most interested in and focused on capturing Osama bin Laden. Ironically, he retired in mid-2001, and took a job as head of security at the World Trade Center. He went back into the South Tower on 9/11 and was killed when it collapsed.
O'Neill, according to the author, was a complex, driven man, a visionary who was one of the first US officials to decide that Osama bin Ladin was worth watching and perhaps capturing. While his FBI career was, in terms of his job performance, impeccable, he had two major weaknesses. First, he was occasionally forgetful, and violated various FBI rules and protocols. In the mid-90s, when Louis Freeh was running the FBI, any violations were punishable, and almost certainly would have a detrimental affect on a person's career. O'Neill was once caught letting a girlfriend onto an FBI secure facility, and giving her a ride in his car. On another occasion, he lost a briefcase full of classified material that shouldn't have been out of the office. Both of these incidents impacted his career and chances for promotion. Second, he had a penchant for chasing multiple women at the same time, concealing each liason from all of his other girlfriends. When he died, each of the women was surprised to find out that there were other women in his life.
Much of the book is devoted to O'Neill's pursuit of bin Ladin, especially the investigation of the bombings at the African Embassies in 1998 and the Cole bombing in 2000. While O'Neill wasn't involved directly in the Embassy bombing investigations, he was in charge of the Cole bombing investigation. However, for whatever reason he ran afoul of the local US ambassador, a woman named Barbara Bodine, who started out asserting her control of the investigation and insisting that the Yemenis were offended by O'Neill, and that only she could smoothe things over. This was before O'Neill had met any of the Yemenis yet, but she insisted it was the case. By the time the investigation concluded, Bodine was so sure that withdrawing the FBI investigators was provocative that she ordered Marine guards to keep the FBI agents in the embassy, and had to be told by her superiors at the State Department to let the agents go. After she'd been transferred back to the States and 9/11 happened, the Yemenis became more helpful, and eventually began cooperating extensively with the US. Ambassador Bodine stuck to her guns, however, and even badmouthed O'Neill in an interview after his death.
You have to wonder about this part of the book. Author Weiss was a friend of O'Neill's, and he clearly sides with him against Bodine. It's difficult to see how she could justify what she did (even if O'Neill was despicable, letting her opinion of him subvert this sort of FBI investigation is inexcusable). I expect that somehow she saw through his private life in some fashion. Weiss says that she had been introduced to O'Neill in New York before she became ambassador to Yemen. Perhaps she saw him at a restaurant with a woman other than the one who was escorting him the night they were introduced to each other.
Regardless, this is an interesting book, even if the author, a journalist, occasionally makes a mistake around the periphery of his story. The one I noticed was the author saying that USS The Sullivans was named for some brothers killed on a "carrier" during World War II. The Sullivan brothers were killed on USS Juneau, an Atlanta-class Light Cruiser. Other reviewers have noted mistakes on the edges of the story, but they don't (in my mind, anyway) detract from the main message of his story.
John O'Neill is a modern hero........2006-02-14
I bought this book on sale at K-Mart, and it was definitely worth the few dimes I spent for it. This book reads like a novel, fast and furious, not much down time. If you don't know about John O'Neill, a true hero, or martyr in this case, then you need to read this book. Yes, O'Neill has his faults (don't we all!!), #1 - he is definitely a ladies man and has three ladies plus an undivorced marriage on the string, and #2 - he becomes forgetful and loses things that almost cost him his job. But hey, that's only two negatives compared to the positives this guy was made of. His story is a compelling statement made against our current President and his predecessors that did not follow up on his predictions that Al Qaeda would strike again and again. To top it off, he even predicted his own death in the Twin Towers the day before. If you don't read this book, then you don't care how terrorists have us under their grip and won't let go.
Buy this book . . . what a life........2006-01-25
I've read this book, reread it and reread it yet again. This is a fantastic read. Murray Weiss' obvious affection for O'Neill shines through. It is a sympathetic portrait of John O'neill whose hard-charging style earned friends and foes in all aspects of government. He clashed in particular with Barbara Bodine, the US ambasador to Yeman, over her hampering of the FBI's Cole investigation and her arabist mind set. Sounds like she almost went native! The tragedy of this clash, and, ultimately, her refusal to allow him back into Yeman is that much later linkage was made between some of the Cole attackers and linked individuals and Yeman safe houses and the 911 plot. O'Neill was head of the FBI's counter terror division and the resident expert on Bin Laden. The great irony as we all know is that his first post-FBI job was the head of security at the World Trade Centers--he died on 911 at his new post.
His was a warm engaging personality. People obviously loved him. Some of his personal relationships with woman were exposed in this book. He kept his life compartmentalized to an extreme degree. To this I would only ask how many of us would like a journlistic sleuth like Mr. Weiss pouring over every personal/financial detail of our lives??? No thanks!
His life will soon be made into a movie and his life has all the attributes that could make a great film . . . courage, lots of girls, smart as hell and driven. To me John O'Neill represents the best in America . . . the very best. He is a hero in the full sense of the word(not just the positive traits, but with tragic flaws as well). For more information check out the PBS Frontline website where they have a free archived program on his life and times. Five Stars. A great read.
Book Description
On the morning of September 11, 2001, thousands of airline and airport professionals headed off for what they assumed would be just another day on the job. Of course it was anything but. Now, as the nation approaches the fifth anniversary of that tragic day, the stories of the heroes and casualties among our dedicated air travel workers remain largely untold.
Until now. Reclaiming the Sky honors not only those workers who died doing their jobs, but also the ones that soldiered through on that day and in the aftermath, tirelessly piecing back together the fragments of a shattered industry -- and indeed a critical social and economic force -- while putting aside their own fears and grief.
In conjunction with a website, reclaimingthesky.com -- where readers can share their stories and thoughts -- the book not only honors the heroes and casualties of 9/11, it also offers common ground to those seeking meaning, purpose, and the strength to move forward.
Customer Reviews:
A passionate, involving set of experiences of ordinary individuals placed in unusual situations calling for action........2006-11-06
These personal stories of aviation employees whose lives changed after September 11th, 2001 makes for an outstanding collection of memories of those who acted courageously and behind the scenes. RECLAIMING THE SKY: 9/11 AND THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE MEN ND WOMEN WHO KEPT AMERICA FLYING offers stories of professionals who were on duty on that day: it makes for a passionate, involving set of experiences of ordinary individuals placed in unusual situations calling for action.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
9/11 - an honest perspective.......2006-10-14
What strikes me most about this book is the honesty, time and care taken by the author in ensuring that the story told is true to the maturing experiences of those involved. I am sure that it would have been relatively easy for Mr. Murphy to rush a book out, given his proximity to the people and events of that terrible day. But he didn't do that. This approach must have required great patience and absolute dedication, but these traits have in the end been richly rewarded in what is a unique account and a developed perspective.
I think this is key. I myself was caught up in the '93 bombing. My experience was relatively mild of course - a bad scare and a long walk down from the 99th floor. But even in my case I've learned that it takes time and reflection to judge the true impact of these seemingly unreal events.
I loved those towers very much. As a Brit in New York I was in "adult Disneyland" - perhaps the best 3 years of my life. Whenever I could, wherever I was in New York, I'd look for the towers, as if addicted to their beauty and iconic majesty. I didn't realise that '93 was just the start of a greater tragedy. My firm relocated and our space was taken by another firm. They were a client of mine and I loved working for them - such great people, with real character. When I left New York to return to London I was given a football by my boss, with signatures of those I'd been closest to in New York. Tragically, 4 of those signatures are from people that were lost on 9/11.
Having left New York I was confined to experiencing 9/11 through a TV, remote and detached. For so long my '93 experience and also 9/11 have seemed and felt to me to be a work of fiction, something from the movies. The relevance of this to the book is that time and reflection have taught me not to gloss over or bury past events but to recognise that they were real, they did happen, it really was intended to topple the towers as I sat in them, that evil had its moment but that the memories of the spirit of the good and the great has in the end prevailed. Thank you Tom for allowing me to find my own maturity and honest perspective.
Enduring and Prevailing: the definitive roadmap.......2006-09-19
This book is structured around the stories of about two dozen aviation industry personnel at three airports (Logan, Newark, Dulles) and two airlines (American, United) who although not at ground zero on September, 11, 2001, were on the front line in every significant sense. Although many people rose heroically that day, these stories make a strong case that the performance of those in the aviation industry was second to none, not only on 9/11 but in the days, weeks, and months following. The author has long experience in the aviation industry, largely developing and running customer service training programs. Due to a cancelled meeting that morning in the North Tower he was heading home to the west coast earlier than planned and was among the last to see from the air the twin towers standing. But professional associations and personal friendships within the aviation industry gave him many other perspectives on 9/11 and its aftermath - perspectives that in variety and scope may well be unmatched.
The stories are well told and woven together to show connections, both personal and professional, between people. In addition to their responses to the events of that day, we learn in some cases why they chose aviation as a career, their pride in the industry and part in it, and other aspects of what makes them "tick." The individuals range widely: a security agent, several flight attendants, a pilot, customer service reps, airline operation officers, to name a few. One of the more striking stories focuses on the general manager of the Newark Airport. Her sharp instincts, clear thinking, and ability to act decisively under considerable pressure illustrate leadership of the highest order. Not all these people survived that September morning but this book leaves no doubt that the memory and spirit of those who didn't are alive and well and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. These stories also give an inside look at the aviation industry beyond the gate agents and flight attendants that most of us are familiar with.
But the personal tragedies of that day were just the beginning. The economic and emotional aftermath of 9/11 hit the aviation industry especially hard. Over 100,000 jobs were lost in the first post 9/11 year alone as funding priorities shifted dramatically, and those remaining in aviation took on additional burdens. How these people not only adapted and endured but prevailed - in essence reclaimed their lives - is the central question the author explores. The later part of the book sheds considerable light on this question and distills much of value from these people. Although individual paths to personal recovery varied common themes were unmistakable. Indeed this book is an excellent guide for anyone recovering from a loss of almost any kind or severity.
At a time when the national discourse seems to dwell so much on the fearful, the negative, and the cynical it is refreshing to be reminded - as this book does - that this need not be so. Here are stories of a few, from among undoubtedly many and unsung others, who under crisis conditions were not paralyzed by fear, were able to act decisively, and were willing to reach out to others. And equally impressive they refused to become victims of that experience in the tough months and years that followed. This book provides an occasionally needed reminder of what seemingly ordinary people can do.
enlightening perspective.......2006-09-18
This book brings such a unique perspective to what happened on 9/11. There's this whole "world" of people who had to continue, not just for their own livelihood, but to help maintain one the freedoms that makes us who we are. I really enjoyed the down-to-earth way the author writes, and his honesty with how this has affected him and those around him. This is a great book that helps to explore some of the unspoken sorrows, while not replaying events we've seen so many times. Well worth it. Bravo to the author, and to all those people who kept us flying.
The Inside Story.......2006-09-14
I didn't know it when I started reading it, but this book presents a truly unique perspective on the events of 9/11. Unlike many of the "featured" 9/11 books, Tom Murphy writes not as an outside pundit,partisan political hack or foreign policy wonk... he writes passionately from his position as a long time consultant inside the aviation industry. I was amazed when I read this very insightful book how much I took for granted when I flew both before 9/11 and after. RECLAIMING THE SKY will give you an "on the ground" feel for the what the aviation industry is really like...and what the events of 9/11 meant that fateful day and all the days since. I know you've heard it all before, but when I started it, I couldn't put it down: the book is rich in human detail, conversational and warm in tone, with a depth of compassion and support for those Mr. Murphy knew,worked with and cared deeply about. It's also not just a book about aviation; it's a moving story of Tom Murphy's personal journey as well. I think it's a great book...before writing this review I ordered 3 copies for friends.
Average customer rating:
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Who's Running America? The Clinton Years, Sixth Edition
Thomas R. Dye
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
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Federal Government
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Systems Of Government
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ASIN: 013123241X |
Book Description
Arguing that the power in America is concentrated in large institutions, this book studies the people at the top of these institutions, who they are, how much power they wield, and how they came to power.
KEY TOPICS: This volume chronicles the changes in leadership in Washington accompanying the first Democratic administration in 12 years. It describes how changes in technology, especially in the mass media, have inspired challenges to established elites.
Book Description
"Very little of my backstory qualifies as Hallmark Card material, but it may help you to make sense of the way I see and interpret what's going on around me."
-Jack Cafferty
For the millions who watch the "Cafferty File" on CNN's The Situation Room, Jack Cafferty stands for common sense-the much-needed voice of reason who skewers right-wing nut jobs and liberal eggheads alike. For years, he's voiced the views, hopes, and fears of the average American in inimitable style. Now, in It's Getting Ugly Out There, he brings that level-headed wisdom to bear on the most critical issues facing us today-and explains why Americans must take our country back from those who are harming it.
"It's been a target-rich seven years for someone like me who enjoys pushing people's buttons and sticking pins in things that need pricking, from rich and fatuous celebrities offering foreign policy analysis to the latest lying Beltway blowhard impaling himself on his sword of pomposity. . . . Anyone familiar with my daily 'Cafferty File' segments on CNN's The Situation Room knows I'm not exactly what you'd call the mainstream media's poster boy for feel-good news and commentary. In your face is more like it."
"I'm no shrink, but I have the sense Bush has carried an angry chip on his shoulder much of his pampered life, seething just beneath the good-old-boy surface."
"The bottom line is that our government no longer works for us. The government works for the lobbyists who have had a big hand in influencing (if not helping to draft) legislation favoring not the average American citizen but instead big business: health insurance, pharmaceutical and oil companies, and defense contractors, among others. These are the guys who can make the kinds of political contributions that are needed to finance today's multi-million-dollar political campaigns."
"We want our troops home, but we also want a new army of elected officials to march into Washington and take a fresh, uncorrupted look at the needs of the vast majority of Americans. If these two parties, however 2008 breaks, can't fix what's broken, this way of life as we've known it may vanish into some deep, dark crevasse."
Customer Reviews:
A Call to Arms for Americans.......2007-10-21
Jack Cafferty speaks in an honest straight forward fashion about the problems facing our nation. He pulls no punches in pointing fingers at those in Washingon D.C. and Corporate America that are to blame for what is wrong in our public debate. I stronly recommend this book to anyone who is tired of the political spin that passes for public debate of serious issues.
It's Getting Ugly Out There.......2007-10-21
A fascinating and informative book. Easy conversational style. Brings into focus all the arrogant and highhanded abuses our current government has heaped on the citizens of this country. Excellent documentation. A much needed voice of protest.
Eyes wide open.......2007-10-21
It's been ugly out there - I was happy to read this upbeat, knarly, crabfest written from a truth rendering perspective. It's enough to make you chuckle, cry, get mad and at the same time feel very serious about. Cafferty writes with attitude. It's a good read, but you might not think so if you are sloppy wet with kisses from the current administration. Right on.
It's getting ugly out there.......2007-10-19
This was an honest view and exactly what I'd expect from Jack. There is no way everyone that has a concern about what is going on in our society shouldn't get a copy of this book. It is a good read and something we all should be aware and listening to for protection of our culture and ideaology.
Do Not Read This.......2007-10-17
Do not read this unless you want some hard, no holds barred, straight up talk! Jack tells it like it is and I applaud him for it. My husband and I have a list: "Who We'd Like to Have Dinner With List".... a long, leisurely dinner... and really get to know a well-known person we admire. Well, I feel like I just had dinner with Jack. A great read!
Books:
- Wilt: Just Like Any Other 7-Foot Black Millionaire Who Lives Next Door
- Wish You Well
- Women Artists in History: From Antiquity to the Present
- A Far Country
- A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers
- American Girls About Town: They're Not Just the Girls Next Door....
- Armed Madhouse: Who's Afraid of Osama Wolf?, China Floats, Bush Sinks, The Scheme to Steal '08,No Child's Behind Left, and Other Dispatches from the Front Lines of th
- Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West
- Cards for Men and Boys
- Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul II: Stories About Taking Charge, Making a Difference and Moving Through the Preteen Years for Kids Ages 9-13 (Chicken ... the Soul (Paperback Health Communications))
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