Rating: 
Summary: Bad writing, scary info
Review: This is a truely frightening look at the man who is going to be our next president. Mr. Begala paints a picture of Bush that leads one to wonder what he would be doing if it was not for his family's connections & wealth. While some of the points raised are speculative, the author does a good job of citing the source where he got the basis for the speculation.The problem comes with Mr. Begala's writing. All too often he takes a conversational tone with the reader, suggesting that this is more of a personal attack than he claims it to be. After all, Gore is no saint either. Begala claims that this is not motivated by partisan feelings, but his constant gushing over Gore and the fact that much of the research was done by the Democratic National Committe refute this. All in all, it's a scary picture being painted of a man I wouldn't trust to house-sit, much less be the president (and I wouldn't trust any of the other front-runners either, in case you're questioning my partisanship!). Too bad about the writing and the obvious personal feelings involved with the writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Perfect Example of: "I TOLD YOU SO!"
Review: ... If more people had read this book and known all this stuff BEFORE the presidential election in November of 2000, Resident-Select Shrub would not be living in the White House today. I'm sure it is no warm consolation to Paul Begala to be able to say, "I told you so." Nevertheless, all is not in vain. What is in this book will come in real handy for the UPCOMING presidential election of 2004. ... About then presidential candidate, George W. Bush, Paul Begala writes, on page 40: "George W. Bush's economic plan is a return to the trickle-down days of the 1980s. He wants to cut taxes for the rich, gut the social safety net, turn more and more power over to giant corporations, and limit the rights of working people. ... You're reading this, and you're thinking: Didn't we try this before? And didn't all that trickle down result in a few rich folks and corporations getting the gold mine while the rest of us got the shaft? Didn't those Reagan-Bush economic policies run up the debt, cripple our competitiveness, and drive us into a recession?" ... About then vice-presidential candidate, Dick Cheney, he writes, on page 133: "And in case you ladies thought Dick was on your side, he also voted against the Equal Rights Amendment. Apparently full equality for women was an idea whose time had no yet come for Mr. Cheney. In his defense, Cheney says he opposed the ERA because he feared it would require that women be drafted. Hey, Dick: we haven't even drafted any men for twenty-five years. But at least he's consistent: Cheney was so opposed to the draft during the Vietnam War that he got several deferments. He never spent a day in uniform himself, but he was eager to ship my cousin Dennis (a Marine sniper) off to Kuwait to do Cheney's fighting for him." ... Ah, you've got to hand it to Paul Begala, he knows how to maintain his sense of humor in the heat of battle. Indeed, for battle it is - political battle - over the future direction of our country. Read this book ( as well as his newer IT'S STILL THE ECONOMY, STUPID ), and you will be very well informed about "the enemy" before going into battle. I will never forget what my friend, Danny ( a US Marine who fought at Kae San in Vietnam ), once said to me about his political enemies in union politics. He said: "I love my enemies. I really do. It's EASY to love your enemies and be a Christian. WHY? ... Because they're SO STUPID, they make you look good!" ... Danny was right - and Paul Begala is right. Read this book, love your enemies, and think victoriously about the future presidential election! ... YOWZA! - The Aeolian Kid
Rating:
Summary: The Main Point
Review: This interesting book proves the point of millions of Americans (including mine): George Bush is an idiot that deserves to be defeated in the November election by a man who actually knows what he is doing for our country and the world, John Kerry. A superb book!
Rating:
Summary: Exposing the fraud
Review: Paul Begala is partisan and freely admits it, but he succinctly exposes George Bush Jr. for the lightweight he is. Begala paints a portrait of Junior as a study in contradictions. A lousy student who was accepted to an Ivy League university ... a failed businessman who enjoyed a successful career ... the beneficiary of millions of dollars in government hand-outs who doesn't believe in government assistance. We see Bush Jr. for what he is -- a privileged rich boy whose family name has allowed him to coast through life and succeed in spite of himself. This book should scare the hell out of Americans as we face the prospect of Bush Jr. as the leader of the free world for the next four years. It would destroy my faith in the American voter altogether, were it not for the fact that more of us voted for the other candidate. An excellent book, filled with irrefutable facts.
Rating:
Summary: Begala does what the media doesn't have the guts to do.
Review: This is a book that is funny but scary. Paul Begala points out it is a joke to seriously consider George W. Bush as a candidate for the presidency. This is a man who decided to become an adult around the age of 36. For all of Mr. Bush's talk of Al Gore puffing up his resume, it turns out that the successful business career that Mr. Bush had prior to public office was due mainly to sweetheart deals (by both the government and private individuals wanting to help out then-President Bush). This is what Joe Conason calls Bush's "crony capitalism (see Conason's great article on Bush's business dealings in a recent article for Harper's Magazine). Let's hope enough voters head Mr. Begala's words.
Rating: 
Summary: Democrat fun
Review: We like to poke fun at those in public office, its an American tradition to make sure those who we elected don't respond to the bluster of their office. George W. Bush has a rather extraordinary resume: Yale undergraduate degree, Harvard MBA, military fighter pilot (F102 driver) a cocktail of brains and brawn that sends the fatuous left into conniptions. Indeed this Christian seems to have been placed onto the earth to drive liberals bonkers, none of them can even keep up with him. Can you think of anyone who achieved Yale-Harvard-Figher pilot credentials? I can't. Mostly the book is the typical Left-over misrepresentation of W, making fun of his poor verbal skills, noted, and ignoring his strong foreign policy skills. Indeed after 9/11 he persuaded 40 countries to join us in Afghanistan and all without the UN involvement. When Congress directed him to invaded Iraq he put together a coalition of 31 countries to do so without the United Nations. In 1991 the United Nations could gather only 29 for the same task. The fun title of the book is a claim, without a tape recording of course, that W used the wrong tense in a simple sentence. Obviously unlikely, and just as obviously a bitter attempt by the Left-overs to slight a sitting American President that has disassembled their world view.
Rating: 
Summary: Biased but Good
Review: While Begala is certainly biased against Bush, the book is based in solid facts, whose sources Begala carefully annotates. This book makes a few things abominably clear: Bush has made many mistakes, as a student and as a businessman, and yet he has always advanced anyways, largely due to his family's wealth and power. The label of "Compassionate Conservative" is nothing more than a campaign gloss. Bush's tax plan saved the wealthiest one percent an extra $46,000 per year, while the bottom twenty percent got a whopping $42 (that's per year too, if you can't beleive your eyes). Where is the compassion in that? Or in laughing when asked about death penalty cases? Whatever the topic, Begala makes it clear that Bush doesn't really care about the poor and needy, at least when it comes to politics. He follows wherever the big money lures him.
The chapters are a short, easily readable length; the book makes for light and easy reading-- although at some points the more liberal minded may want to cry. Each chapter starts out with several quotes from W about the topic, many duplicates of the ones which appear in the Bushisms. The parenthetical comments (It's _____________, Governor, Karl Rove will explain it to you.) are hysterical. A simultaneously funny and sobering book, it is well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Say a little prayer - There's a dim-wit in the White House!
Review: Judging from his linguistic abilities (or the lack thereof), George W. Bush will not be remembered as an "education president". With the grammar and speech of a high school drop out, there aren't many lessons to be learned from the leader of the free world. Hopefully W. has a good tudor to bring him up to the level of his class (which is unlikely to actually be accomplished - it takes much more than 4 years for someone with a 2-digit IQ to earn a doctorate). An inferior intellect is of no aid to an ailing economy, nor does it help rebuild friendships with alienated allies. We're in trouble, and it's the donce who got us into it. This would never have happened with a valedictorian in the White House. Brains beat pudding everytime. At the very least, Bush Jr. will be remembered as the President who made middle school kids laugh; it's not everyday they get to see a a president who can't read, write, spell or speak as well as they can. Still, the whole thing is a bit scary. What can we expect to be the next joke played on America - and the world!?****
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: I found this book very entertaining and slightly eye opening. After reading this book, nothing about Bush shocks me, but I was constantly amazed by things like Bush's catering to the rich, lack of desire to read, and mysterious missing year from his military service. Hovever, this book is definitely too scathing to change anyone's mind. The author definitely has an agenda in wrtting this book (he admits to this), so it is difficult to determine what is real and what isn't. The author's bias really somes to light when he is discussing the ballpark financing. Begala fails to mention that municpal bonds are a very common way of financing new stadiums. Begala makes it seem as if the only time this has ever occured is when Bush did it.
More generally, the arguements are good, but the author's sarcasm will probably close the ears of more moderate readers. For a better writen book on the pre-presidential Bush, I would suggest Shrub by Molly Ivans.
Rating:
Summary: Caution: Liberals, Read At Your Own Risk.
Review: Good intro to the dangers of another Bush in office. The book is also funny, not to mention scary. You may want to have some tranquilizers on hand. Follow this book up with Michael Moore's Stupid White Men and you may suffer a stroke.
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