Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government

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Summary: A humorous insight on the wastefulness of Big Government¿
Review: Humorist P.J. O'Rourke has done an excellent job of taking a stab at all that Big Government represents. His opinions are well backed with facts, information, and first hand accounts of what's really going on inside "the Beltway". Although some of his financial figures and information are dated to the early '90s, O'Rourke's point is still very much alive and needed if Government reform is to occur. I would recommend this title to anyone needing a good laugh at the expense of our Democratic system!

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Summary: Great writing, cutting criticism, endless hilarity, but...
Review: I don't get how modern conservatives can side so strongly with the ideal of States Rights and the men of the Constitution Convention on the one hand and then turn around and laud Democracy and Lincoln on the other. Lincoln openly mocked States Rights and his legacy is our modern view of our 50 states, i.e. a bunch of lines on the map.
And the men at the Constitutional Convention knew plenty about the current (from Revolutionary France) notion of Democracy. But every man at the Convention, from Franklin to Patrick Henry, rejected the idea as complete stupidity, equivalent as Mencken once said, to trying to run the zoo from the monkey house. They esablished a Constitutional Republic, Lincoln gave us a Democracy.
PJ is confused. It wasn't the Peckerwoods and Rednecks that were squashed in 1865 (page 14) it was States Rights and the Constitution.

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Summary: A lone humorist failing to be humorous
Review: I enjoy O'Rourke's essay-type writings, especially the more extravagant and bizarre ones, but did not find this book all that funny. In fact, I battled to finish it. American government should be an easy target for O'Rourke, but he never seems to get it together in this book. The only part of it which I found really funny was about the investigation into auto transmission cars squashing its owners against their garage doors. Otherwise it hardly raised a smile.

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Summary: Uncle Peej's best.
Review: I first read this book as a wet-behind-the-ears DC intern in 1992, and nothing's been the same since. P.J. (it feels wrong to call him "Mr. O'Rourke") nailed the true, power-grabbing nature of government, especially in the last chapter's last sentence. Now don't go pull a Harry "When Harry Met Sally" Burns on me and read the last page of the book first; if you do, you'll miss a wild ride. Emphasis on "wild": there are lots of non-gratuitous naughty words in this book. But if you're the type who can't think about government without cussing anyway, then get this book for you or someone you know who deserves the truth.

Rating:
Summary: Uncle Peej's best.
Review: I first read this book as a wet-behind-the-ears DC intern in 1992, and nothing's been the same since. P.J. (it feels wrong to call him "Mr. O'Rourke") nailed the true, power-grabbing nature of government, especially in the last chapter's last sentence. Now don't go pull a Harry "When Harry Met Sally" Burns on me and read the last page of the book first; if you do, you'll miss a wild ride. Emphasis on "wild": there are lots of non-gratuitous naughty words in this book. But if you're the type who can't think about government without cussing anyway, then get this book for you or someone you know who deserves the truth.

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Summary: O'Rourke at his best
Review: I got a "specialist degree" in politics at University and still found that I learned more from this book than any of the dry tomes they pushed on me in school. It is laugh-out-loud funny, thought-provoking and a fair assessment of the behemoth that is the government. It should be required reading for anybody considering a career in politics.

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Summary: Everything I know about the U.S. government...
Review: I learned from this informative book. Unlike most political commentators, O'Rourke gets into the thick of things and comments upon what he sees, not what he reads in the paper. Some criticisms have been made about the right-wing orientation of this book, but let me put it this way: after reading this book cover to cover, I can truly say I know enough about the government to intelligently comment upon events in Wachington and insult both the right and the left with equal impudence.

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Summary: O'Rourke at his best
Review: I read this book back in the 90's when the book was still somewhat new. I was in college at the time and a proud liberal too. This book really changed my views and challenged many of the beliefs I had held. It really sparked an interest for me in libertarian thought in general. The book may be dated with its references to the gulf war but its still very witty and a good read.

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Summary: [like hunter s.]Thompson ...
Review: I recently recieved a list of Modern Library's 100 best non-fiction books of all time where Parliament of Whores came in at a promising number 72 on the readers list. I read a couple of on-line reviews and decided it might be worth my money. It's not. It's tempting to say that this book is a ... transparent, flagrant [borrow] of Hunter Thompson's Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail: 72, but to say that makes a mockery of Thompson's brilliant work. In this book O'Rourke clearly makes an attempt at copying the style of F&L without ever capturing any of it's substance. There is none of the raw, devastating, and ORIGINAL humour of Thompson's book. There is none of the political insight of Thompson's book and there is none of the broader social and historical contexts in which Thompson frames his rants so brilliantly. There is absolutely nothing to this book, it is a ... series of second-rate gags that would be more at home on some name sit-com as opposed to the significant challenge of political satire. Save your money.

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Summary: Outstanding and right on
Review: If he were not so dead-on accurate about most parts of our government this book would be even funnier. Although it is now a bit dated this remains a 'must read' in my mind. The section on the Agriculture Department alone is worth the price of the book. If nothing else, buy it to read the closing section of the book in which he brings home the truth - in a democracy we get the government that we ask for.