BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : OCTOBER 16, 2000 ISSUE
BOOKS Poison Pen ''IS OUR CHILDREN LEARNING?'' The Case Against George W. Bush By Paul Begala Simon & Schuster -- 148pp -- $12 paper Political pamphleteering is a proud American tradition. As a young history student, I collected with fascination election-year screeds written against Franklin D. Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Lyndon B. Johnson, and other Presidential candidates. These out-and-out tracts, which didn't try to masquerade as great literature, often were compelling works of political art. In recent years, though, the old-fashioned broadside has gone out of style, replaced by serious tomes written by self-styled investigative reporters. Where have you gone, Tom Paine? Well, Paine's poison-pen descendant is not cybergossip Matt Drudge, radio ranter Rush Limbaugh, or any of the alleged investigative reporters with alleged scoops about alleged drug use by Al Gore or George W. Bush. It's Paul Begala, the former Clinton campaign strategist turned Georgetown University professor and MSNBC sparring partner of Oliver North. Proudly liberal and relentlessly partisan, Begala has written a masterpiece of a lost genre. ''Is Our Children Learning?'' The Case Against George W. Bush is nasty, thoroughly one-sided--and absolutely hilarious. It's sort of a cross between Will Rogers and Hunter S. Thompson. In a mere 148 pages, Begala lays out the case against the 2000 GOP Presidential nominee, frequently using Bush's own words to skewer him. The title is an example of Bush's habit of mangling the English language, here from an event in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Jan. 11. Begala, a Houstonian who is playing the role of ''W'' in Democratic debate preparations, takes aim at his fellow Texan's positions on major issues, such as the economy, education, health care, the environment, and guns. He also slams Bush's qualifications for the White House, his military career, and his private-sector accomplishments. But Begala is most effective when he's quoting Bush. A few Bush-isms: ''If you're sick and tired of the politics of cynicism and polls and principles, come and join this campaign.'' On diplomacy: ''There is madmen in the world, and there are terror.'' And more: ''A key to foreign policy is to rely on reliance.'' After a meeting with ex-rival John McCain: ''I think we agree: The past is over.'' I'm only sorry that some Republican hasn't written a parallel screed on Gore, who is vulnerable to mockery largely because of his proclivity to exaggerate (or, critics would say, fabricate) anecdotes. There is a compact disk entitled The Best of Al Gore, released by the Republican National Committee. It features embarrassing audio clips, including the Veep's comments on his part in the development of the Web and criticism of Gore by former Democratic Presidential rival Bill Bradley. Begala, meanwhile, contends that his book ''is not a hatchet job.'' Yeah, right. By RICHARD S. DUNHAM _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					RELATED ITEMS Poison Pen PHOTO: Cover, ``Is Our Children Learning?'' INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

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