BUSHWHACKED

One thing should be understood at the outset: Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose detest the policies of George W. Bush. Whether they detest the man himself is not clear to me; but having read both of their books about him, I strongly suspect it goes with the territory. What I mean is this: when someone undertakes actions which result in disadvantages for whole classes of people he has sworn to protect; when he says those actions are protecting them (despite the assessments of independent experts, and even despite historical evidence to the contrary); when he demonstrates a pattern of rejecting conclusions from his own staff on purely ideological grounds, altering or suppressing those conclusions, and firing or muzzling the staff; when he keeps secret the documents and deliberations that normally are open to the public, and resists inquiries about that — when all these things are done, it is hard not to detest the man doing them along with the things done.

Some other things the reader of this book should understand is that both authors are career journalists who reside in Texas, and that they have been following its politics since at least 1975 (when, as they relate on page 216 of this book, a "Christian" named Lester Roloff sued one of them for libel.) Whatever their personal feelings about Bush, Cheney, or the other individuals they blast in this book, they know how to research, verify, and present facts. That is what the book so ably does. (One of the book's defects is that it sometimes throws out references which sail over the heads of those not as thoroughly steeped in Texas politics as are its authors.)

In the case of President George W. Bush, this applies to both domestic and foreign policy: foreign, because he has mishandled the "War against Terrorism"; domestic, because he persists in ramping up spending while pushing through tax cuts that mainly benefit the well-to-do and cutting benefits for the unemployed and the working poor. Ivins and Dubose present case studies that make this case.

I have to admit that Chapter 15, on foreign policy, was tough to take. All of Bush's egregious gaffes, lapses of logic, counterproductive moves are laid out in blistering black and white. It may sound like hyperbole, but I believe it: If this series of events had been translated to interpersonal scale, murder would have taken place. This is the one area of policy to which "GeeDubya" had no access as governor of Texas. Now, despite his campaign pledge of humility, his foreign-policy actions resemble nothing so much as a bull in a china shop.

Amid the cascade of scrupulously researched and totally serious tomes about the continuing presidency of George Walker Bush, eldest son of George Herbert Walker Bush, this second volume on the subject from the team of Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose is a most welcome draught of incisive commentary. I can be sure without even opening its covers that it is brim-full of trenchant passages from Ivins, supported by clear and accurate reporting on the part of Dubose of the [labyrinthine complexities] of Bush administration dealings.

Not only do they criticize; they propose solutions. Among them are campaign-finance reform and infrastructure investment in the $2 trillion worth of infrastructure that needs repair in this country. Not only would that improve the quality of life for drivers, it would provide jobs for hundreds of thousands.

Just as with their previous collaboration on the career of Bush fils (Shrub), Ivins and Dubose have assembled extensive research into a series of topical chapters (education, processed-meat production, Superfund cleanups, and the like). Each one focuses on certain individuals, whether on the giving or receiving end of the depredations... [%META-EDIT no, that's not how to say it...]

In other words, it is a largely anecdotal account. This is no defect (though the people who come off badly will tend to call it one.) Personal anecdotes can vividly illustrate the scope and impact of a flawed policy, whereas reams of statistics may overwhelm the readers and close their minds to the message. Rest assured, the message of this book is an important one. And do not overlook that the authors do provide background information. That's easy to do; they use it sparingly, and weave it so skillfully into the narrative. As I said above, there are by now shelves full of books critical of the Bush administration. The two written by Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose belong on the "Top Ten" list of such works.

There are things to criticize in this work. For one, they defend the hate-crimes bill that Bush vetoed when he was governor of Texas. In Shrub, they said it was a bad bill. For another, they drop a backhanded reference to Bush's alleged use of cocaine in his youth. So far as I know, everyone else except the most rabid Bush-bashers considers that a dead issue. They attribute a quote ("We will mine more, drill more, cut more timber.") to James Watt. (So does Carl Pope in his book Strategic Ignorance. So did Bill Moyers; but Watt never said it, and early in 2005, Moyers apologized for misquoting him.) They draw a dubious conclusion from an environmental report by Jack McGraw.

An entire generation of bright, politically inclined high school students could make their reputations and enhance their chances of admission to the college of their choice by delving into the flip-flops, goofs, manipulations, and outright lies of the Bush administration. College "poli-sci" majors would find it a rich vein to mine for thesis material. (However, given the stonewalling characteristic of Bush and Cheney, getting answers to FOIA requests filed during high school might require waiting until college days were long gone.)

To contact Chris Winter, send email to this address.
Copyright © 2005-2016 Christopher P. Winter. All rights reserved.
This page was last modified on 10 September 2016.