Just finished Joe Conason's new book...

[Redleg]

Two thumbs up! Hell, I'll even give it the two big toes up! Much of the information Conason used in his indictment of conservatives was stuff I had seen before reading his book. It was nice to see Conason tie everything together into a nice, neat package.

I have to say that I got pissed off reading again about the Bush business dealings and Republican smear campaigns against liberals. Can't we impeach that bastard yet? Joe, if you are reading this, thanks for the hard, honest work you put into that book.

[underpants]

1. The chapter about Marvin Olansky was a bit frightening huh?

Stoning people to death for delinquency?

Yes an exception book.

[Redleg]

2. Olansky and some of the other proponents of compassionate

conservatism are small, pathetic men who actually have no compassion for anyone but their own ilk. That was a scary and enlightening chapter. I hadn't read too much about that movement, other than the resignation of Bush's faith-based czar what's-his-name.

[underpants]

4. John DiIulio's letter to Esquire

http://www.esquire.com/features/articles/2002/021202_mfe_diiulio_1.html

In eight months, I heard many, many staff discussions, but not three meaningful, substantive policy discussions. There were no actual policy white papers on domestic issues. There were, truth be told, only a couple of people in the West Wing who worried at all about policy substance and analysis, and they were even more overworked than the stereotypical, non-stop, 20-hour-a-day White House staff. Every modern presidency moves on the fly, but, on social policy and related issues, the lack of even basic policy knowledge, and the only casual interest in knowing more, was somewhat breathtaking—discussions by fairly senior people who meant Medicaid but were talking Medicare; near-instant shifts from discussing any actual policy pros and cons to discussing political communications, media strategy, et cetera. Even quite junior staff would sometimes hear quite senior staff pooh-pooh any need to dig deeper for pertinent information on a given issue.

[Redleg]

5. DiIulio- that's the name!

Yes indeed. It seems that almost every former Bush official has had some revealing things to say about Bush's piss-poor leadership.

[RobertSeattle]

3. I just wish he had written a conclusion chapter

When I got to and finished the last chapter, I was kind of left "hanging" because I expected a conclusion or rap up chapter. Oh well.

Now on to "Bush Lies"...

[Redleg]

6. I know what you mean- I wanted to read more.

Maybe the paperback edition will include the important information that Bush was defeated by _________ in the 2004 election.