Shrub: The Short But Happy Political Life of George W. Bush

Biographies & Memoirs

Ivins, Molly

Leaders & Notable People

Random House Audio |

When it comes to reporting on politics, nobody does it smarter or funnier than bestselling author Molly Ivins. In Shrub, Ivins focuses her Texas-size smarts on the biggest politician in her home state: George Walker Bush, or "Shrub," as Ivins has nicknamed Bush the Younger. A candidate of vague speeches and an ambiguous platform, Bush leads the pack of GOP 2000 presidential hopefuls; "Dubya" could very well be our next president. What voters need now is an original, smart, and accessible analysis of Bush--one that leaves the "youthful indiscretions" to the tabloids and gets to the heart of his policies and motivations. Ivins is the perfect woman for the job. With her trademark wit and down-home wisdom, Molly Ivins shares three pieces of advice on judging a politician: "The first is to look at the record. The second is to look at the record. And third, look at the record." In this book, Ivins takes a good, hard look at the record of the man who could be the leader of the free world. Beginning with his post-college military career, Ivins tracks Dubya's winding, sometimes unlikely path from a failed congressional bid to a two-term governorship. Bush has made plenty of friends and supporters along the way, including Texas oil barons, evangelist Billy Graham, and co-investors in the Texas Rangers baseball team. "You would have to work at it to dislike the man," she writes. But for all of Bush's likeability, Ivins points to a disconcerting lack of political passion from this ascending presidential candidate. In her words, "If you think his daddy had trouble with 'the vision thing,' wait till you meet this one." Witty, trenchant, and on target, Ivins gives a singularly perceptive and entertaining analysis of George W. Bush. To head to the voting booth without it would be downright un-American. From Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush " The past is prologue in politics. If a politician is left, right, weak, strong, given to the waffle or the flip-flop, or, as sometimes happens, an able soul who performs well under pressure, all that will be in the record." ¸ Bush's welfare record: "Texas pols like to 'git tuff' on crime, welfare, commies, and other bad stuff. Bush proposed to git tuff on welfare recipients by ending the allowance for each additional child--which in Texas is $38 a month." ¸ Bush and the Christian right: "Bush has learned to dance with the Christian right. It has been interesting and amusing to watch the process. Interesting because it's sometimes hard to tell who's leading and who's following; amusing because when a scion of Old Yankee money gets together with a televangelist with too much Elvis, the result is swell entertainment." ¸ Bush's environmental record: Since Governor Bush's election, Texas air quality has been rated the worst in the nation, leading all fifty states in overall toxic releases, recognized carcinogens in the air, cancer risk, and ten other categories of pollutants. ¸ Bush's military career: "Bush was promoted as the Texas Air National Guard's anti-drug poster boy, one of life's little ironies given the difficulty he has had answering cocaine questions all these years later. 'George Walker Bush is one member of the younger generation who doesn't get his kicks from pot or hashish or speed,' reads a Guard press release of 1970. 'Oh, he gets high, all right, but not from narcotics.'"

Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush

Dubose, Lou

Historical

Random House]

A simultaneously rollicking and sobering indictment of the policies of President George W. Bush, Bushwhacked chronicles the destructive impact of the Bush administration on the very people who put him in the White House in the first place. Here are the ties that connected Bush to Enron, yes, but here, too, is the story of the woman who walks six miles to the unemployment office daily, wondering what happened to the economic security Bush promised. Here are reports on failed nation-building missions in Kabul and Baghdad. Here, too, the story of a rancher who has fallen prey to a Bush-Cheney interior department that is perhaps a wee bit too cozy with the oil industry. Bushwhacked is highly original and entirely thought-provoking—essential reading for anyone living in George W. Bush's America.

Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush's America

History

Americas

Vintage

Shrub : The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush

Molly Ivans Can't Say

Humor & Entertainment

Humor

Random House Value Publishing

Nothin' But Good Times

Only Molly Ivins can write about redneck politics in her native Texas and the discreet charm of the Bushwazee and manage to be both brutally honest and unabashedly affectionate. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

It's been five years since Molly Ivins's last book, which is probably too long a time in the opinion of her many fans. But the intervening years have given the bestselling author and syndicated columnist some of the best raw material a political writer could ask for. The Republicans staged a revolution, Clinton was reelected, welfare "deform" swept the country, and the militia movement came out of the bunker: in short, it's been a banner time for Molly's brand of shoot-from-the-hip commentary and uproarious anecdotes. You Got to Dance with Them What Brung You brings together a first-class collection of smart, spirited, and fiercely funny writings. From the wild and woolly politics of her native Texas to the waffling in the Oval Office, Molly exposes the fatuous and hypocritical at all levels of public life. Whether she's writing about the 1996 presidential candidates ("Dole contributed perhaps the funniest line of the year with his immortal observation that tobacco is not addictive but that too much milk might be bad for us. The check from the dairy lobby must have been late that week"), conspiracy theorists ("Twenty-five years in the newspaper bidness have given me a fairly strong faith in the proposition that if you haven't read about it in The Daily Disappointment or seen it on the network news, it's probably not true"), or cultural trends ("I saw a restaurant in Seattle that specialized in latte and barbecue. Barbecue and latte. I came home immediately"), Molly takes on the issues of the day with her trademark good sense and inimitable wit. "I can think of few causes more important than keeping free voices alive in a world of corporate media," Molly writes. She is one of those voices and a national treasure; as the Los Angeles Times put it, she is "H. L. Mencken without the cruelty, Will Rogers with an agenda." Whatever your political persuasion, you're bound to agree that Molly Ivins is one of the sharpest and most original commentators on the American scene today.

You Got to Dance with Them What Brung You: Politics in the Clinton Years

Professionals & Academics

From Molly Ivins -- one of our nation's toughest, savviest and funniest political observers -- the runaway bestseller that put her on the map as a national celebrity.Molly Ivins likes to speak her mind. This brash and clear-sighted collection is no exception. She is outspoken as she expounds her liberal views about politics -- the Reagan years: Reagan spent a half hour with the Lebanese foreign minister, who was trying to explain the intricate relations between the many political factions in his country. Suddenly Reagan said, "You know, your nose looks just like Danny Thomas'." -- about Texas, about human folly, and about whatever else she damn well pleases. Full of hilarious anecdotes and well-placed shots at the high-and-mighty, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She? delivers illuminating commentary on the life and times of today.AcknowledgmentsTexas Observed -- Place ,1972; Oil on the Rocks -- The Progressive, 11/86; Too Wussy for Texas -- The Progressive, 10/88; Dallas Does it Again -- The Progressive, 2/89; Don't Worry, They're Happy -- Savvy, 10/89; We the People -- Texas Observer, 9/11/87; Mimic Men -- Mother Jones, 2/90; Honky Tonking -- Ms., 9/88; A Short Story About the Vietnam Memorial -- Dallas Times-Herald, 11/30/82; Coppee! -- Washington Journalism Review, 4/87; Beulah Mae Donald -- Ms., 1/88

Molly Ivins Can't Say That Can She?

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ivins, Molly. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Ivins, Molly