What Was The Best Political Book You Read in 2005?

[XOKCowboy]

I'd have to say my favorite was America - The Book by The Daily Show.

Two of my other favorite political books of 2005:

Who Let The Dogs In by Molly Ivins
Thieves In High Places by Jim Hightower

Lately my fun reading has been Jimmy Buffetts books. The guys a heckuva story teller and I've got a soft spot for the Caribbean.

What did you read in 2005?

[NJ Democrats]

1. I second America the book

I can't remember any others that I may have read.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

2. My Wife Just Got Me America For Christmas! I haven't started yet

but I can't wait to start! You liked it that much? cool

[XOKCowboy]

24. ATB was unique...

for it's format and the fact that it was very funny while still being very critical of the system. Have fun with the book. Keep your eyes peeled or you'll miss something that'll have you giggling for days.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Two biographies

Bob Schieffer and Bill Clinton

[globalvillage]

4. The Politics of Truth

Can't decide
The Politics of Truth - Joe Wilson
Worse than Watergate - John Dean
My Life - Bill Clinton

I really enjoyed The Kiterunner.

[wyldwolf]

5. Reinventing Democrats

http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/baerei.html

[Initech]

6. America: The Book

It's easily the funniest political book I've ever read.

[Rick Myers]

7. Just finished Team of Rivals about Lincoln

Great book!

[XOKCowboy]

23. Is that the new biography??

Just came out in the last couple of months? Tells about how Lincoln appointed his political rivals (Seward and Chase I think) to high positions in his cabinet just because they were the best people for the jobs?

[peacebaby3]

8. Well, I have a few I really liked.

My top 5 (in order):


1. God's Politics - Jim Wallis
2. The Truth (with Jokes)- Al Franken
3. New Rules - Bill Maher
4. Our Endangered Values - President Jimmy Carter
5. America - JS and The DS crew.


I like this thread. Hope I can get some more great recommendations. :D

On Edit: To the OP, I love Jimmy Buffett books. I think my favorite is "Where is Joe Merchant?" One of the best compliments I ever got from a guy was he said I reminded him of Trevor Kane from that book. Smart guy because I said yes when he asked me out. LOL

Haven't read "A Salty Piece of Land" yet? Have you? If so, is it good?

[XOKCowboy]

20. LOL Now that's a good line!

My favorite was Margaritaville so far because it was short stories. Joe Merchant took it a step farther. JB can come up with some interesting characters can't he? Desdemona and her spaceship took some damn fine imagination! :)

I'm just starting Salty Piece Of Land. I liked Tully Mars from Margaritaville and it continues his journey and adventures in the Caribbean. Pretty good so far.

[peacebaby3]

33. LOL. It was a good line!

He was a really nice, intelligent guy. I probably should have kept him. LOL I was young and not into serious relationships at the time so we moved on, but I still remember him fondly (and I can't say that for all the guys!)

I loved Margaritaville as well and for the exact same reason. I could read a short story and then put the book down until I had time to go back. I really think JB has awesome characters. They are somewhat "out there" yet they also seem like someone you could know and have as a great friend.

If you think about it, drop me a pm when you finish "Salty Piece of Land" and let me know how you liked it.

Edit: Because I can't seem to be completely coherent tonight!

[peacebaby3]

36. Oh, I almost forgot...JB is from near where I live. I actually know his

sister. She owns a local bar/restaurant. In fact, he campaigned for our former Dem governor who was defeated in a close race. After that, his sis lost the lease on the land where she had the bar (it was owned by the State) and we feel pretty sure it was very political.

JB pops in a couple of times a year and I've met him, but he probably wouldn't remember my name. LOL

Just thought I would let everyone know he and his sis are fine Dems/Libs. If I ever get to see him again, I would like to tell him NEVER record anything with Toby Keith again! LOL

[XOKCowboy]

38. I became a fan when I read...

"A Pirate Looks At Fifty". It was his autobiography up to that time. I recommend it highly. I bought it in the Nassau airport bookstore on my way home from my first trip to the Bahamas. I'd just fallen in love with the Caribbean and "Pirate" was just what I needed to keep it fresh in my mind.

I was really impressed with how he "uses" his fame. He has found a way to make a very nice living playing music and now writing books but instead of the chase for more fame and more money he uses his free time to fly is seaplane looking for good bonefishing. Gotta love a guy like that. :)

[kath]

31. I read part of Franken's book in a bookstore, and found the part about the

2004 election way too painful to read. It hurts so much to think of Fall 2204 and the hope I had that we would be getting rid of the Chimperor.
I've liked Franken's other books, but I'm going to have to wait awhile before I read his latest.

[peacebaby3]

34. Yea, he does cover that in the first part of the book, but it goes much

deeper than that.

He really does a good job on Delay and all the scandals.

I think you'll enjoy it a lot when you think you're up to facing the 2004 election issue. Reading about it in his book actually made me feel a little better.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

9. So many enemies so little time

[ThomWV]

10. "Against All Enemies" Richard A. Clarke

Outstanding read.

[oldlady]

11. Confessions of an Economic Hitman

by John Perkins (now out in paperback)

[cantstandbush]

32. Ditto! n/t

[OffWithTheirHeads]

12. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

The parallels between Hitlers Regime and the Bush cabal are truly frightening.

[Skarbrowe]

13. The one that depressed me the most was Unequal Protection.

I've read several others, including Al Franken's "The Truth..with Jokes" just this week. But the one that really stopped me in my tracks was Thom Hartmann's "Unequal Protection". Maybe it was because I was hurricane weary at the time I read it. I also couldn't put down "Confessions of an Economic Hitman". Great book.! Also, Jared Diamond's "Collapse" and "Guns, Germs, and Steel." There are others, just can't remember them at the moment.

All of you have given me some great book ideas. Thanks!

[WinkyDink]

14. "Bush on the Couch"

Unmasks the psychopath.

[MissWaverly]

15. I liked Clarke's Against All Enemies

I was surprised on how focused GWB was on opening the shopping malls and getting the
plane service started again with no real directive, just do it. I liked Dean's book
Worse than Watergate. I could not read Jon Stewart's book: America, I thought it was
trite and not funny, I love his routines though. I have a problem with Franken's books,
there is too much fluff and not enough objective analysis with sources.

[malaise]

16. Mine were

The Politics of Truth -Joseph Wilson
For Reasons of State -Noam Chomsky (a reread)
Emancipation Betrayed -Paul Ortiz
Who Let the Dogs in - Molly Ivins -hysterically funny
ESPN -the Uncensored History
Blackness Visible - Charles Mills
On Bullshit - Harry Frankfurt
The Logic and Historical Significance of the Haitian Revolution and the Cosmological Roots of Haitian Freedom - Clinton Hutton
The Candidate - Douglas Manley -very funny

Right now I'm rereading Hayek's The Constitution of Liberty - he's one of the gurus for the neo-cons.

[XOKCowboy]

21. You liked "Dogs" also?

I can read Molly all day long. Being an ex-Okie, I get a kick out of her Texas tell-it-like-it-is style. Wouldn't you like to spend an evening drinking with her, Ann Richards and Jim Hightower?

[malaise]

29. I bought it two days before Christmas

at Barnes and Noble in Miami and started reading while waiting to be picked up. I could not put it down much to the annoyance of my family. So I put it down and helped prepare for the family get together but stayed up late at night and read some more. Has another good read at the airport waiting for my flight back home and then on the aircraft. I finished it on Monday night and thoroughly enjoyed it. I plan to read it again - I'm like that with books I like.
I read all her articles but this is my first read of one of her books. I don't really know Texas style although I have a niece and nephew born there, but I sure loved Who Let the Dogs In.

[Ediacara]

17. What's the Matter With Kansas

Written by a high school classmate of my boyfriend. It gives good insight into why moderate Republicans exist (they just don't know better), although the outlook is decidedly grim.

I have started reading (but haven't finished) Franken's "The Truth (With Jokes)," and "Bush on the Couch." The later paints a picture of Bush's childhood that is sad, and almost makes me feel sorry for him. The author recounts an incident at Andover where Bush was to write an essay on something or other, and Bush chose to write about the death of his baby sister when he was about five years old. Bush used a thesaurus to smarten up his essay and replaces the noun "tears" with the word "lacerates" (lacerate being a synonym for the verb tear). Something like, "I had lacerates running down my cheek." Bush got a zero. Ouch.

[Mossadeq]

18. I can't say whos best..

But I have read a few..

Frankens new book
House of Bush,House of Saud
I am a soldier too Jessica Lynch
Aganist all enemies

[hang a left]

28. Welcome Mossadeq

Hope you like it here. :hi:

[sproutster]

19. Interviews of Nuremburg

An american psychologist interviews the indicted in Nuremburg.

He interviewed the propoganda heads (media).
He interviewed the military.
He interviewed the administration.

My mind boggles at the parallels and the arguments that are suprisingly apt for this administration.

[newspeak]

27. I bought the book

Interviews at Nuremburg, but haven't started reading it yet.

[petgoat]

22. Don't Think of an Elephant by Lakoff

You can read it in a couple of hours.

Two points:

1.) Framing of issues is all-important. If you let the Republicans frame the
"tax-cuts for the rich" issue in terms of "tax relief" you've lost the debate
before you even started. How can anyone oppose tax relief? And what's the use
of saying "I'm in favor of tax relief, but just not in favor of as much of it
as those guys are"?

2.) Republican culture is essentially different from Liberal culture in that
Republicans believe in a "disciplined father" model of society and families under
which errors and weakness MUST be punished, the father must act to protect the
family (and nation) from a hostile universe, and people are basically bad until
they qualify as disciplined fathers themselves.
Liberals believe in a "nurturing family" model in which people are basically
good and should be gently and supportively encouraged to be even better. The appeal
of the Republican model to middle America is an essential challenge to the left.

[MissMarple]

25. Running On Empty...Pete Peterson. Best article....

http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1325

The Prophets Versus Empire by Richard Lang. It outlines the biblical basis for liberal politics.

Take that :spank: Pat Robertson. Consider yourself smited.

"Running on Empty" is good and it shows that there are Republicans who actually think a lot like progressives do. And, no, it's not all about oil. And it's not all smarmy about Democratic politicians, yet pleasingly snarky about Republican ones.

[newspeak]

26. okay, here goes

Will They Ever Trust Us, Again? -- Michael Moore
Confessions of an Economic Hit man-- Perkins
Censored 2005--Phillips & Project Censored
Cruel and Unusual --Mark Crispin Miller

[walldude]

30. Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil.

Think I'm kidding? Many right wingers have complained about it...

[XOKCowboy]

37. Just like you to bring up a Star Wars book LOL

I remember you and I talking about that last year. Even though Lucas downplayed it, there were many similarities in the book and the current political situation.

[AnnieBW]

35. War Made Easy

How wars are spun to the American public to whip up support.

[Drewskie]

39. .

Machiavelli The Prince.