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

Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush, Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose, Random House, 2000


Bush flew F-102s in the Texas Air National Guard, in a unit whose unofficial function was to shield the sons of the rich and powerful of Texas from any chance of actually going to Vietnam, after calls were made to the commander of the unit from the office of the Speaker of the Texas Legislature. He jumped over a waiting list of 100,000 people and 150 pilots after scoring the absolute minimum on the pilot exam. Under Governor Bush, Texas has the worst air in America, leading the country in areas like cancer risk and overall toxic releases. He has a record of being friendly to business, who respond with checks containing lots of zeros. Valuable public policy, according to Bush, is that which is good for business.

While Bill Clinton and Al Gore love getting into the details of public policy, Bush is exactly the opposite, a self-described hater of meetings and briefings. Bush has been called hyperactive and lazy.

Ivins and Dubose do an excellent job at showing Bush's actual record as Governor of Texas. This book is highly recommended.The first rule in political journalism is to look at a politician's record. Ivins, the nationally syndicated columnist, and Dubose, editor of the Texas Observer, put George "Dubya" Bush under the microscope.