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Summary: Texas School Performance???
Review: It is out of curiosity that I picked up this book at a local bookstore. Nonchalent about the millenium American politics, the book seems to fulfill my curiosity in mind this whole business about the Texan public school performance Bush boasted about.On top of the allegations being a once drug user, the book does confirm and testify George W. Bush's past. A troubled past. He was not an exceptional but rather a mediocre student who somehow got into one of the finest school. Bush had led a somewhat checkered life that tail-ended his family flare. Sone said this book is a Democrat weapon served to doom the GOP. I say this is quite an honest account of one of the lackluster presidential candidate for the century.
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Summary: A must read for Dems or Undeceideds, An open dare to Reps.
Review: A very revealing expose' of the new holder of Slick Willie title. I think a copy of this book should be in every home, and reading required before election day. The hard nosers will say that it's expected since Begala is a Dem., but every claim is documented as to source. What about Geo.W being AWOL for a year from the Texas Air force where he(from the lowest 1/4 of applicants for pilot training was pushed in ahead of 500 more qualified candidates). His main claim for qualification to become Pres. is his term as Gov. of Texas. No one has explained yet on public TV that the Gov.of Texas has almost no formal duties. He can get most of his governer work done in about 3 Hrs. Can you imagine how he would manage in the Oval office. This and many more scary stories of what could be after the election.
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Summary: The facts should have spoken for themselves
Review: Unfortunately Paul Begala felt the need embellish terrifically damning facts regarding George W's business dealings, politics, and personal history with snarky comments and childish personal attacks. He assures us in the introduction this will not be a piece to round up support for Gore as he's perfectly capable of making his own case. Yet throughout the book, Begala holds up Mr. Gore as a paragon in both politics and intelligence. Made me kinda think of a one-sided internet flame war. I am a registered Democrat and couldn't abide by George W. before picking up this book. I was hoping to gain some insight into the workings of his mind in order to discuss his candidacy with certain misguided friends and family members ;) But this book was a disappointment and an insult to the reader. Shame on you Mr. Begala; you should have let the facts stand alone rather than trying to tell me what to think!
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Summary: Watch out Guv!
Review: This book is an excellent review of George W. Bush's record. It is fun and lively, but it is scary that this incompetent man is thiclose to the presidency. I know that this book is telling the truth because it is referenced and I have read these things from other sources. This book is a well organized argument against W. Make way for President Gore!
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Summary: A Fun but, Frightening Read
Review: Having just read this book last night I can say it filled in a few blanks for me. Wonderful facts, all with references. But, really I think Begala is too kind to Dubya. I think Geo Jr. is a heartless fool who'll jump at any idiotic proposal he thinks will serve his cause, namely looking "moral" enough to dupe right wingers into supporting him so he can inflate his ego and wealth....
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Summary: Bulls Eye, Begala!
Review: Paul Begala has written what I think is one of the most persuasive, informative books regarding George W. Bush's public service record. Though the book is clearly partisan, it presents the information in a meticulous way - with quotes and legislative action (or rather, inaction) on W's part, and the source of the information. It can't get any better than that. Begala writes in a Carville-ish way, which makes the book quite entertaining to read! After reading the book, I became gravely concerned about W's intentions of becoming President. Both James Carville and Paul Begala have a natural ability to present information in an informative, entertaining, straight-forward manner - not some beating around the bush, dragging on and on stuff. Simple, right to the point, and factual, this book should be read by all American citizens who are on the fence about who to vote for in this election.
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Summary: Superb insight into what sort of person is selected
Review: After reading this damning documentation, it becomes clear that the man is a puppet of special wealthy interests. But if this is the best that his party has, it is a sad statement. This book is a must-read for anyone who is eligible to vote in the 2000 election and non-Americans will get a huge laugh out of it. "ONLY IN AMERICA" I hear you exclaim! The author's wit had me in stitches and blunted the fear I felt that this dangerous dimwit might be the next president
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Summary: All bark and no bite: Typical of Begala, liberal media elite
Review: Absolute waste of your time and money. Truly a load of malarchy, and I'm not even a big GWB supporter. I watch Begala and North on MSNBC's "Equal Time" and half-heartedly enjoy their back and forth (I prefers Chris Matthew's "Hardball" much more). So, I picked up this book to see if Begala had anything clever or meaningul to say (hoping it would be P.J. O'Roark-esque in tone). Instead I was treated to the same old smarmy "I am SOOOOOO much smarter than everyone else, I'm a liberal media pundit, and I know what's best for everyone." Character assasinations are your game, Mr. Begala, and SHAME on you for cheapening the national discourse. My copy is going to be tinder for my next barbecue.
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Summary: Loved the Book, but Too Biased
Review: I purchased Paul Begala's book primarily to "educate" friends who either support "shrub" (little bush) or are on the fence. I was hoping this book would lay out the facts regarding shrub's record - or lack thereof - in such a way that it would be clear to all who read it that Gore was clearly the better choice for President. Sadly, I found "Is Our Children Learning" to be so extremely biased against shrub that it's usefulness as a tool to bring conservatives to the Gore/Lieberman camp is almost non-existent. Intelligent conservatives (yes, I realize this is an oxymoron in many respects) would see Begala's book as propoganda and dismiss it out of hand. Yes, this book is humorously written, and it contains a plethora of documented and sourced factual information. If you're already a Gore/Lieberman supporter - or even if you're leaning in that direction - you'll love this book. If you're looking for an unbiased approach to shrub's record as a tool to bring non-supporters over to the Gore/Lieberman camp, you may have better luck with Molly Ivens' book.
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Summary: BUSH'S CHARACTER TAKES A BEATING
Review: ... With the publication of this immensely readable, witty, compact yet amply-documented book, Begala shows why we should all tremble if Bush is elected to the White House. I'm more amazed than ever that Bush has dared to make "character" an issue in his campaign. As Begala's book attests, the red thread running through Bush's life and record is gross irresponsibility born of privilege. I already knew, for example, that Bush evaded the draft and used his father's influence to jump the waiting list for the national guard. But I was shocked to learn that Bush never showed up during the whole year that he was ordered to report to the Alabama National Guard. What's more, Bush told a press conference last June that he "didn't remember" what he did that year in Alabama. Really? The WHOLE year? (Why should that year be hazier than the two years after graduation he spent, in his words, "drinking and carousing and fumbling around")? Begala's discussion of Bush's business ventures is short but snappy. We learn about Bush's first foray, in which he raised, and promptly lost, millions of dollars invested by his father's friends-- and then sold this disaster dubbed "El Busto", by then worth just $38,000, to another of Poppy's friends for $1 million. Even more astonishing, we learn that Bush engaged in but was never prosecuted or even reproached for INSIDER TRADING in 1990 while a director of Harken Energy. He didn't even comply with the law requiring him to report the sale until eight months after the deadline. (Unfortunately the press is too busy dissecting "important issues" like open mikes and verbal gaffes to investigate commercial hanky panky). As head of the Texas Rangers, Bush persuaded the citizens of Arlington to raise their taxes to pay for a new stadium, while the Rangers retained all the profits once it opened. Well, the people's loss was Bush's gain. For some strange reason, Bush's partners allowed him to increase his share of his holdings from 2 percent to 12 percent without Bush investing more of his own money. So, while citizens got the shaft, Bush reaped a windfall profit of over $14 million principally on shares he never bought. For doing what? For trading Sammy Sosa? Worse than that, Bush's meager record of PUBLIC service also comes across more like public plunder. His tax plan would give the richest 1% NEARLY HALF of all tax cuts, while "most average working families would get about 60 cents per day." As Begala, citing UPI, notes, he's squandered Texas's budget surplus: "the first time in nine years that Texas has suffered a budget pinch." Thanks to Bush, say 44 environmental groups in Texas, Houston has the dirtiest air in America, causing hundreds of premature deaths each year. The problem is so bad that asthma rates among Houston's inner-city children have doubled in only two years! Small wonder too, because as Begala points out, Bush's idea of trusting people with responsibility is trusting pro-industry, anti-regulation people to occupy EVERY SINGLE position in his environmental agency. And I guess he also trusts us not to notice. EDUCATION PRESIDENT? A cruel hoax. As Begala tells us, Bush already broke his promise to Texas voters to increase public education's share of the budget from 45% to 60%; it declined instead. Not only did Bush fail to give schools the money he promised, but he even tried to pinch $47 million from the teacher's pension fund to cover administrative costs normally funded from general revenues. He admitted in 1998: "Higher education is not my priority." Nor is the hiring of new teachers to reduce class size, universal prekindergarten, teacher testing and many other proposals Gore champions. Bush proudly chose as his running mate a man who was one of very few in the House to vote against Head Start, free immunizations for the poor, college student aid, and lunch programs for the neediest children. Most damning are the words coming from Bush's own mouth: "I've never been a long-term planner about anything. I have lived my life with more of a short-term focus." That's in part because, as his own aides admit, Bush has an extremely short attention span. In other words, he's lazy. He can't be bothered to read 10-page policy papers. "I do need somebody to tell me where Kosovo is," he told the Manchester Guardian. I suppose reading the newspaper or looking at a map would be asking too much. (And what a fine role model for our students.) Too bad Bush didn't ask his adviser and full-time security blanket Condoleeza Rice about our delicately-crafted Taiwan policy, in place since Nixon. No president, including Dubya's Poppy, has ever been so reckless as to explicitly pledge to honor a defense pact with Taiwan. Begala writes: "Bush darn near committed us to a war with the largest country in the world." Next to that, I suppose the fear that Bush would make America a laughingstock is small potatoes. Still, I winced when I learned Bush told a Slovakian journalist: "The only thing I know about Slovakia is what I learned first-hand from your foreign minister, who came to Texas." Problem is, he met with the PRIME MINISTER of SLOVENIA. After reading Begala's book I wondered: How can we expect Bush to keep government agencies honest and accountable if he can't be bothered with more than brief assurances and summaries spoon-fed by aides? I agree with conservative columnist George Will, who sees Dubya as a careless, reckless adolescent. If he can't bother to prepare adequately for the most important job in the world, why should Americans bother to vote for him?
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