BobHarris.com - This is actually the Speaker Of The House, not a parody

Books! Actual books!

"A rollicking ride of intellectual discovery and emotional growth... his comic timing never fails"

-- The Wall Street Journal

"Pulls you in like a good sports story"

-- The New York Times Book Review

"Endearingly frank... jubilant... lighthearted and fast-paced"

-- New York Newsday

"A surprisingly touching memoir"

-- Entertainment Weekly

"Snappy and informative"

-- Associated Press

"Effortlessly funny and informative... tender, human, and very wise... A must for anyone who loves Jeopardy!, or has ever seen it, or is breathing."

-- Joss Whedon, creator, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"I haven't seen Jeopardy! since I was a kid, and yet I was charmed and amused by Bob Harris's fascinating and surprisingly suspenseful book. Through sheer force of personality, he takes this brainy TV show and makes it funny and easy to relate to."

-- Ira Glass, creator and host, This American Life

"A surprisingly intimate, entertaining book."

-- Orson Scott Card, 4-time Hugo Award winner, author of Ender's Game

"Funny, enlightening -- and just might help you win a million bucks on Jeopardy!"

-- A. J. Jacobs, author of The Know-It-All

"A masterful job of describing the feel of Jeopardy! in the heat of battle... I knew Bob was a great guy and a fantastic Jeopardy! player. Now I've found that he's also a wonderful writer. I think I'm starting to hate him."

-- Brad Rutter, top money-winner in Jeopardy! history

Books I'm Getting

Who Hates Whom:
Well-Armed Fanatics, Intractable Conflicts,
and Various Things Blowing Up —
A Woefully Incomplete Guide™

“Revelatory... Harris's sly wit and infectious curiosity make understanding world chaos fascinating... witty, horrific, and necessary.”

— Boston Globe

"Brave... irreverent... charges into the thick of the globe's myriad simmering wars... hilariously relaxed."

— New York Observer

"Only Bob could make a user’s guide to our increasingly hostile world this absorbing, this breezy, and—ultimately—this hopeful.”

— Ken Jennings, author of Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs

“Fascinating, enlightening, and surprisingly: NOT TOTALLY DEPRESSING. A gimlet-eyed look at the world we endure that’s also suitable for enjoying with a gimlet.”

— John Hodgman, author of The Areas of My Expertise
and correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

"All three [presidential] candidates should read all three of these [recommended] books, but McCain gets first crack at Bob Harris's "Who Hates Whom“... a lighthearted overview of the insurrections and civil wars in the world today."

— Steven Pinker, author of The Stuff of Thought, in the New York Times Book Review

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This is actually the Speaker Of The House, not a parody

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Thursday, 27 October 2005

This is actually true: Speaker of the House Denny Hastert (R-IL) has started a blog. (First heard about it thanks to Wonkette.)

It's outstanding.

Because in its very first entry, it confirms all of your very worst nightmares.

Is he unimpressive? Oh, my yes. On blogging:

This is new to me. I can’t say I’m much of a techie. I guess you could say my office is teaching the old guy new tricks.

On advancements in online communications:

The internet is changing the way we share information.

On hurricanes Wilma, Rita, and Katrina:

There has been a lot of damage.

Is he dishonest? Right away, almost the first chance he gets -- this, coming from the Speaker presiding over the greatest run of deficit spending in American history:

What we don't need to do is to spend more money now and worry about how to pay for it later.

Is he a mindless servant of corporate interests? You betcha. Check out this crude segue between the needs of homeless poor people and the questions now burning in his skull:

Speaking of the Hurricane season, renewed attention has been brought to the way we refine gasoline in this country.

Yes, that was definitely on my mind, looking at thousands of people trapped on their roofs: "how does this affect the market for Light Sweet Crude?"

But is this really the only major issue he sees here? Apparently so. (You have to read the whole thing to believe it.) His final major point in the post, concluding his thoughts on hurricane relief, is this:

When are new refineries going to be built here in America? When is the Alaska pipeline deal going to be signed so we can get natural gas to consumers quicker? Conoco Phillips has reached an agreement with the state of Alaska on the pipeline. Exxon Mobil and BP need to do the same. These companies need to invest in America’s energy infrastructure and resources. Until they do, we're going to be asking some tough questions.

You go, Denny! Way to stick it to the Man! Two-four-six-eight, Exxon Mobil needs to start building refineries so existing investment in diminishing domestic oil reserves will appre-ci-ate!

Wow.

Read the whole thing here.

This is not a parody. It's really the first entry from the man just two heartbeats away from the presidency.