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Summary: George W. Bush Hyprocrite with a captial H!
Review: Every American voter should read this book before going to the polls. George W. Bush's oil field dealings make Clinton's Whitewater dealings pale in comparison. George W. Bush has embraced the lunatic fringe of the far right, people who believe in black helicopters and the threat of 'one world government', but he has only embraced them because he thinks they can help him to the Whitehouse. Our next president, I don't think so!
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Summary: Typical Ivins
Review: I read most of the book and was not impressed -- not because I am a big fan of any politician but I am so tired to bashing the "winner" no matter who he/she may be. I think this is one of the big problems in the US today. If you can't beat them fairly then bash them to death. But then what can we expect after seven plus years of the current administration. If you can't beat them -- make fun of them and maybe they will go away.
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Summary: They came at him from the left!
Review: I am by know means a big G.W. Bush fan or supporter. But I think the authors let their political views creep into the text. The book does make you look a little closer at the man who might be the next President, so I suppose they accomplished their goal. I would not read this book only and call it quits. But insted use this book as a starting point and go from there.
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Summary: Expected something different.
Review: As a big fan of Molly, I was really looking forward to this book but must say I was disappointed. I thought the book had a lot of interesting observations of Dubya but I couldnt find much of Molly in them. There are enough straight books on G.W's life and times. I think there was too much Lou Dubose and not enough Molly in this one. Come on Molly, eagerly awaiting your next one.
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Summary: This is who is going to be our next president?
Review: Is this a country where we are so willing to hand over the most important job in the world based on who is father is? I have always been quite skeptical of Bush Jr's judgement, this book only confirmed to me of his lack thereof. In a land where most of us are sick of these hippocritical politicians passing laws that insinuate "listen to the laws I pass, not to what I do", George Bush is a chief offender. Molly Ivins brings up the "cocaine" issues surrounding Bush. She clearly documents how Bush refuses to answer the nagging questions regarding his own cocaine use, but nevertheless once in office, passes the harshest laws with mandatory prison time for those found with one ounce of cocaine on them. Molly Ivins documentation of Bush's callous and downright frightening judgement in regards to execution in his state is something all voters should know about. Bush all but ignored one case where a death row inmate had DNA evidence which exonerated him from the crime which he had been convicted for. Bush continued to uphold his execution date regardless of the DNA evidence, only to reverse his his attitude after there was such a public outcry against it. Is this the sort of man we want to have in charge of nuclear weapons?
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Summary: Insightful/Factual with Molly's Brush of Humor
Review: This book, from a long time reporter of Texas politics, and columnist who never fails to bring a touch of wry humor to her remarks, is probably the closest portrait of George W. Bush during the years of his govenorship that you will get.When Molly talks Texas politics, she knows what she's talking about, and although die-hard fans of GW will hate this book, it shows balance. Molly points out the good points of the GW administration, as well as the bad, and leaves you with new insight into this presidential contender.
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Summary: Terrifying Truths
Review: Every thinking voter should read this informational yet entertaining book of the business and political exploits of George W. The book provides horrifying highlights (with supporting footnotes) of George W's career (trampling on the comman man to support his wealthy comrades) to date. I didn't know that much about the man before I read it (even LIKED him) but now that I have many well-supported facts to form an opinion, I am scared to death that W has any chance at all of winning a Presidential race. You might want to know that the writing style gets a tad course in places (in a light-hearted way) but PLEASE don't let a critique of writing style deter from the message. Please buy 2 copies of this book - one for you and one for a Republican friend - and pass yours on when you're done!
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Summary: The Road Not Taken...
Review: Ivins has wasted her talent on this rather brief re-hash of the public record. Obviously meant to capitalize on current events, it would surely have been much more interesting if she had focused her "Texas-sized smarts" on answering the puzzle that so bedeviled her and her co-author: "The puzzle of Bush is why someone with so little interest in or attention for policy, for making government work, would want the job of president, or even governor." That would have been a worthwhile effort. It's not too late, Molly!
Rating: 
Summary: interesting and pertinent analysis of Bush's character
Review: This is Molly Ivins' first original-content book (as opposed to collections of previously published columns), and its timing is certainly good. What I like about Ivins' and Dubose's analysis is the way it is categorized. Bush's past actions concerning the environment, crime, religion, business, education, and so on are discussed, all in light of the unique backdrop that is Texas politics. The portrait painted of Bush is not particularly flattering unless one is a laissez-faire capitalist, and does not show him as having much real depth beyond doing what it takes to get along with his likely supporters. One thing to consider is that this book isn't nearly as funny as Molly's earlier books. However, its analysis is correspondingly more focused. Whether that's a positive or a negative is up to the reader. The other factor is price. At full retail, this book is too thin to be worth the money. Happily, amazon's selling it for about 2/3 of that--a fair price, in my view.
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Summary: Should be required reading for both voters and talking heads
Review: One of the things that so often distinguishes Molly Ivins from her D.C. counterparts is that she consistently recognizes that the public OUT there is not necessarily the public DOWN there. In Shrub, her latest opus, Ivins takes a good hard look at the record of Texas governor George W. Bush. Her painstaking assesment of the often Byzantine politics of "The Greatest State" and Bush's ascension to the Governor's office provides readers with a view of the candidate rarely glimpsed in other organs of the media. From land deals to environmental policy and from welfare reform to tort reform, the book examines both the games and the players in Bush's rise to national prominence. The hard facts about Bush's military service and his dealings within the world of Texas oil are reason enough to read the book. They are also proof that the truth is far often more interesting (and amusing) than even the most bizarre fiction. Ivins been nominated at least twice for the Pulitzer Prize. Read Shrub and see why.
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