I didn't need to read Shrub: The Short* but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush by Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose. Let's face it: I already detest the man and his policies. Why throw gasoline on the fire? But I did read it, and there were amazing moments of insight.
1) Molly Ivins on Bush's luck: "The guy is not just lucky; if they tried to hang him, the rope would break. (page xxi) Yep. I used to think Reagan was lucky; Bush wins by a mile.
2) On big "bidness" hassles in Texas: "…an African proverb is sometimes cited: 'When elephants fight, the grass suffers.'" (page 101) People in the US? We're grass—if not toast.
3) On environmental protections in Texas: "The agency also began providing advance notice of 'surprise inspections' of large industrial facilities, thus lending a surprising new meaning to surprise." (page 113) Crocodile tears for miners? The thought came to mind.
4) Perot was involved in Texas's education reform. "The trouble with Texas schools, said Perot, is too much football. Pretty much the whole state flat fell down at hearing such heresy, bewildered as a goat on AstroTurf." (page 130) Damn. If I'd known Perot felt that way about football and education, I might have voted for him. Just kidding. I think.
5) The sad thing about this last quote is I read it ten minutes after Scooter Libby's not-a-pardon was announced. Timing is, as always, everything. The book quotes from a profile of Bush that appeared in a 1999 issue of Talk magazine. The interviewer asks if Bush ever met with any death row inmates who were requesting commutations. Bush said no, added that in addition he refused to meet with Larry King who was interviewing a woman on death row. Bush admitted he did watch the resulting Larry King Showwhere King asked the woman what she would say to Bush. Imagining how she might have responded, Bush answers: "'Please,' Bush whimpers, his lips pursed in mock desperation, 'don't kill me.'" (page 153) When the profile was published, the Bush campaign claimed the interviewer misunderstood. The interviewer said he didn't. Whatever. My question is: When are people going to grasp that George W. Bush is not a nice man?
*Ivins now concedes she was wrong about "short." Too bad that she was.
