Rating: 
Summary: Wiiiieeeer!!! (cat sound)
Review: Highly elitist and superficial. The premise of this book is that all conservative women are evil and have accomplished their goals by deceit. She promotes choice on abortion but not choice on politial parties. She is merciless and holier than thou with those who don't agree with her. She falls into lockstep with the anti-Halliburton, I hate Bush garbage. She shamelessly attacks Laura Bush's personal tragedy (car crash) and politicization of that was beyond the pale. If you want a fair characterization of conservative women this is not it, but if you want insignificant catty vitriol, order this book yesterday.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny, Smart, Timely, Sharp,
Review: How refreshing to read a political book with real voice. Flanders is great on the radio, and just as alive and amusing on the page. She's got strong views, backed up by solid research. A treat to read. After so many books on George, finally a bigger picture. BUSHWOMEN offers a good refresher course on the last twenty years of US history too, and how the Right rose to power. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Left wing dimwits
Review: If there has been anybody in the history of American politics who have benefited without effort on their part, it is Hillary clinton. Next in line will be Teresa Heinz. Looking forward to reading that one.
Rating:
Summary: No new material here. . .
Review: If you hate President Bush and his administration, you might get "good feelings" by reading this book. Otherwise, no new ground covered here. For conservatives like myself, you might want to read this book just to remind yourselves that there are people who will do and say anything to discredit President Bush and his supporters--yes, their hatred runs that deeply.
Rating: 
Summary: It's about time....
Review: Laura Flanders has uncovered the hype surrounding the top women in the Bush administration, and it's about time someone did. These women all came into power largely because of feminism and the civil rights movement, yet they have dedicated their lives to destroying those very movements. Born of privilege, they pose as "ordinary" citizens or "immigrants" who rose to the top through sheer hard work and willpower, and then preach that genuinely oppressed groups can do the same thing, despite rampant bigotry in the U.S. There are six profiles and a couple of bonus chapters. The profiles are of Rice, Hughes, Chao, Ann Veneman, Gale Norton and Chrisine Todd Whitman. There is also a chapter on Laura Bush and Lynne Cheney, and an excellent introductory chapter that sets forth Flanders' spot-on theory: That if the media took women seriously, its members would long ago have exposed the vicious, unethical, unprincipled, extremist behaviors of the women in question. Instead, even the most prestigious and "liberal" media outlets talked about the women's clothes, jewelry and family lives, while devoting almost no space or time to their political agendas. The White House and the media have once again colluded--through their shared disdain of women--to pull the wool over the eyes of a public that doesn't want to see the truth. You may think you already know a lot about the Bushwomen--I did--but you will be surprised by some ugly revelations. From Norton's lifelong quest to abolish the environmental movement, to Chao's similar ambition to quash fair labor standards, to Whitman's enormous financial conflicts of interest while she was a governor, to Hughes' one-woman poison campaign against Governor Ann Richards--Flanders' book shows the White House for what it is. The book is thoroughly researched, and many of the notes are worthy reading. Flanders writes with humor. Once I started the book, I found it very hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: indispensable, funny, tragic, true
Review: Laura Flanders is a terrific journalist who can always be counted on for solid research livened with insight and wit. Here she looks into the careers of some prominent women of the Bush Administration, with devastating results. We underrate these women at our peril. As Flanders suggests, "George W. Bush might never have snagged the White House if one woman had been laughed at less: Katherine Harris." The media made fun of her makeup and ditzy-dictatorial manner, and missed the fact that in Florida Harris was well-known as a powerful, shrewd, and ambitious politician.
Bushwomen is perfect reading for the upcoming election season-- a great book club selection, too.
Rating:
Summary: * * * FANTASTIC * * *
Review: Laura Flanders is in one word: A GEM! If you enjoy Molly Ivins or Al Franken and their humorous, yet WELL researched way of carving up the shaky foundation of the GOP - then Laura Flanders is your girl! Laura Flanders is an excellent, excellent writer. She has written a clear, thorough, fascinating account and provides solidly researched examples of how these GOP women have sold themselves down the river for an organization which is aiming to take away the very rights which helped them get where they are today. Who knew Laura Bush should have been prosecuted for man slaughter? And yes, I knew there had to be more to Karen Hughes than the standard script had been providing. Thank you Laura Flanders!!! My only disappointment is that the book wasn't longer! The entire country has been knee-deep in GOP bs for years, more examples should be easy to find! If all you've experienced is the negativity and hysteria of low-rate writers like Ann Coulter, then Laura Flanders will be your day in the sunshine!
Rating:
Summary: A high-priority read for this election year
Review: Laura Flanders takes no prisoners in her well-written, extensively documented profile of some of the women who attempt to "soften" the hard edges of George W. Bush's pResidency. Did you groan when adviser Karen Hughes allegedly went back to Texas "to spend more time with [her] family"--one teenager son still at home? Did you wonder what else was going on? Flanders will tell you. She neatly defuzzes Ann Veneman's warm 'n fuzzy image as the daughter of a peach farmer; unpeeled, she has been a strong advocate for agribusiness over smaller farmers, and has had a hand in steamrolling labor and environmental reforms hard-fought since long before Cesar Chavez made us reconsider putting grapes in our shopping carts. My only quibble is that I would have loved for "Bushwomen" to be twice as long and included more of the Grand Old Party-gals, but no matter. This is a fast and infuriating read. It shouldn't be the only book on your nightstand in this election year (if you only have time for one, pick up "The Book on Bush," by Eric Alterman and Mark Green). However, if "Bushwomen" is all you can fit in, you'll learn to your chagrin that in the Bush camp, sisterhood isn't powerful, it's truckling to the big white guys. Condoleeza Rice, Karen Hughes, Ann Veneman, Gale Norton, Christine Todd Whitman, and Lynne Cheney should be ashamed of themselves. But evidently, since they are not, we can be ashamed of them, and pack their petticoats back to wherever they came from. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A high-priority read for this election year
Review: Laura Flanders takes no prisoners in her well-written, extensively documented profile of some of the women who attempt to "soften" the hard edges of George W. Bush's pResidency. Did you groan when adviser Karen Hughes allegedly went back to Texas "to spend more time with [her] family"--one teenager son still at home? Did you wonder what else was going on? Flanders will tell you. She neatly defuzzes Ann Veneman's warm 'n fuzzy image as the daughter of a peach farmer; unpeeled, she has been a strong advocate for agribusiness over smaller farmers, and has had a hand in steamrolling labor and environmental reforms hard-fought since long before Cesar Chavez made us reconsider putting grapes in our shopping carts. My only quibble is that I would have loved for "Bushwomen" to be twice as long and included more of the Grand Old Party-gals, but no matter. This is a fast and infuriating read. It shouldn't be the only book on your nightstand in this election year (if you only have time for one, pick up "The Book on Bush," by Eric Alterman and Mark Green). However, if "Bushwomen" is all you can fit in, you'll learn to your chagrin that in the Bush camp, sisterhood isn't powerful, it's truckling to the big white guys. Condoleeza Rice, Karen Hughes, Ann Veneman, Gale Norton, Christine Todd Whitman, and Lynne Cheney should be ashamed of themselves. But evidently, since they are not, we can be ashamed of them, and pack their petticoats back to wherever they came from. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: More Blather from an Americanized ex-Brit
Review: Most Brits i know are far more sensible than this silly dumb bunny of a parlor radical. This book would be more interesting, and complete, if it took cognizance of such phenomena as a) why is Anita hill such a feminist icon and heroine when she was in fact working for Ronald Reagan's EEOC dismantling affirmative action in the workplace when dirty ole' Clarence showed her the infamous can of Coke or b) the role affirmative action plays in promoting talentless academc hacks like Condi to positions like Provost of Stanford University. Laura might also ask where talentless hacks like Micheal Powell come from. Powell got his JD, with "hardship" scholarship, from Georgetown University Law Center. Needless to say, Powell did not have a deprived youth, and his career has not shown that law grads with the right amount of melatonin are better, more thoughtful leaders. Womyn, like black people, are not necessarily more "moral" just by virtue of their cultural, racial or gender identity, but that seems to be the unspoken assumption underlying this ridiculous book.
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