All Too Human

Book 17 of my 2018 Reading Challenge

All Too Human by George Stephanopoulos

Summary (via Goodreads)
For four years in the White House and one year of campaigning before that, George Stephanopoulos was rarely more than a few steps from Bill Clinton. As the president's senior adviser, he saw it all - the arguments, that back-hall scheming, and the last-minute flip-flops that somehow produced real accomplishments but also set in motion an almost tragic series of events that placed the president's fate in the hands of the Senate. Stephanopoulos's gripping account of foibles and frailty in high places has been hailed as one of the great political memoirs of our time.

My Opinion
I put this review off for a long time because it's hard to review a book about the politics of "before" when dealing with the constant shitshow of politics now.  How naive we were to worry about the things we worried about when the book was published in 2000 covering Clinton's presidency in the 90's...it makes me sad.

But here's what I will say about the book...very interesting and well-written, he didn't hold anything back.  I'm sure his honesty caused a stir when it came out but what was considered scandalous back then is laughable now, and not in a good way.  There were still things relevant today, maybe even more so, regarding "politics" over "substance" and the pressures of siding with your party.  

A Few Quotes from the Book
"Because for all the compromises and disappointments, for all the days when my job felt like an exquisite jail sentence, working in the White House was the greatest adventure of my life."

"In the end, a political campaign boils down to talk, talk, and more talk. What are they saying? What are we saying? What are they saying about what we're saying in response to your question? And on, and on, and on."

"There are certain events...that acquire meaning only in retrospect. Others seem significant as they happen: your first kiss, your college graduation, your first house.
 The first time you hire a criminal lawyer."