Review: The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis, by George Stephanopoulos
by
Stuart Holland
A fascinating glimpse into the historical significance of the Situation Room, which I really only knew from the West Wing. The book dips into a lot of presidential terms, but orients itself around the folks working in the room, not the president. The fact that the room was, for much of its history, physically unremarkable is very interesting, with many in the book saying they were surprised by how much of an everyday conference room it looked (at least before its more recent renovations).
As you’d expect, there are a lot of great stories to be had given the setting, many larger than life. The chapter that takes place during George Bush Sr’s white house gives a very positive impression of him, and as a president from before my time he’s not one I have a significant knowledge of. British Prime Minister John Major ending up waiting on the phone for 45 minutes during the Clinton presidency is a fun anecdote.
The audiobook was also well produced - the author does a good narration, and the clips and excerpts of official interviews that play in place of some quotes show up well.
The contrast of how the Situation Room is run between presidencies is surprising, I hadn’t expected it to be so dramatically different. Overall I enjoyed the little peeks into modern history.
The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis
