What I Saw at the Revolution: A Political...

What an amazingly wide-ranging memoir Peggy Noonan wrote! Read this book if you want to know-- * what it was like growing up in the Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies, * what it was like to work at a major news network (CBS) as it made the awkward, transition from radio to TV, * how the White House speechwriting process worked, * what went on inside the Reagan administration, * what it was like to be a woman in a field dominated by men, * what it was like to be a working-class, Fairleigh Dickinson-educated Jersey girl in a town populated by the old boys network and the Ivy League, * what Reagan was like in person, * how elements of the conservative movement fought and cooperated in the White House, and * much, much more. Having come to Reagan administration from CBS (where she worked for Dan Rather), Noonan spent only a few years at the White House in the mid-1980s -- long enough, though, to write some of Reagan's most memorable and moving speeches, including the Challenger and D-Day speeches -- but she saw, and participated in, so much. She describes her experiences with wit and humor and candor -- and, of course, the wonderful writing for which we've come to know her. Despite her own conservative politics and love for Reagan, this is not hagiography. Even as she stands clearly in awe of the president, he remains a mystery to her, a distant enigma. She is uncertain whether Reagan's aides are actually manipulating him, or whether it's Reagan who's really doing the manipulating of his aides who seem always to be at odds. And even as she stands clearly in awe of working in the White House, Noonan is quickly frustrated by the in-fighting among staff members, the bureaucratic fights among departments and agencies. This is particularly the case with the "staffing" of speeches, in which each department -- State, for example, and the National Security Council -- reviews a speech and basically tears it apart. Nor are Noonan's impressions of Nancy Reagan and Maureen Reagan particularly positive. In short, I think it's fair to say that the book is a classic of the genre.

...and indeed I am certainly NOT one by any stretch of the imagination. Noonan has written one great book about the presidency, life in the White House, speech writing, and the political process and how it interacts with the media. The portions of the book on how she wrote speeches for Reagan and Bush and how they got edited in the staffing process are particularly well-written, insightful, and at times downright funny. Noonan remains loyal to Reagan but she is not so blindered that she fails to note some of the short comings of his hands-off style. Her policy views are sometimes simplistic (you're left wondering if she thinks the world can be governed from what you learn in a Capra movie) but this is after all a memoir and she does a very good job of taking you on her trip. Well worth reading.

Peggy Noonan's account of life in the Reagan White House is clever, insightful and inspiring. Her vivid descriptons of the West Wing and Executive Office make you feel as if you are sitting right beside her as she crafts the speeches that for many defined the Reagan Presidency. In addition, I enjoyed the autobiographical elements of this book--which included Ms. Noonan's background and formation of her political ideology. In a straightforward, unpretentious style, both Ms. Noonan (and her former boss)remind us that there is still an American dream worth achieving.

Peggy Noonan's memoir of her years in the Reagan White House is beautifully written and highly entertaining. She details the constant struggle between Reagan's speechwriters and his policy drones (the NSC staff is a particular nemesis) to shape the message. In the end, though, Reagan's views come across as his own. It is clear that although he had speechwriters to help him, he was more highly engaged in the speechwriting process than some (see "reader from Atlanta") would have you believe. There are also plenty of examples of where Reagan overruled his timid advisors and spoke out boldly, examples being his Berlin Wall speech and the "Evil Empire" speech. Overall, Noonan's memoirs is a great portrait of some of the pettiness of those who work in government and will makes you yearn again for a President who was "simple" enough to know what he believed without needing a pollster to tell him on every subject from whether to sign a welfare reform bill to where he and his family should take their summer vacations.

As we move into another policitcal campaign season of lies, spin, and deliberately mis-leading half truths, this remarkable book should be not just read, but studied by every would-be voter. It is 10 years old, but as on target today as when it was written. It gives a "basement" view of the inner-workings of our government unlike any you will read elsewhere, mixing often off-the-wall humor with a thoughtful and serious view of important issues. Noonan's deft put-downs of pretentious "staff" who may be effective politicians but are obviously amateur writers and communicators are a delight. As a former speechwriter in the corporate world (and a one-time political writer) I found it disheartening to read additional evidence of how the spinmeisters of the world have taken communication back to Alice in Wonderland level. Noonan is a gem, and if nothing else is learned from the book, it should be this: Americans need to know they are not just electing a President, they are electing his "staff". This book should be in the library of every writer, and used as a frequent tool and reminder.