First time visiting BookBrowse? Get a free copy of our members' ezine today.

Summary and Reviews of Great Political Wit by Robert Dole

Great Political Wit by Robert J. Dole

Great Political Wit

Laughing (almost) All The Way To The Whitehouse

by Robert J. Dole
  • Readers' Rating:
  • First Published:
  • Oct 1, 1998, 255 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Oct 1999, 224 pages
  • Rate this book

  • Buy This Book

About This Book

Book Summary

A jovial--and completely bipartisan--compendium, Great Political Wit is a connoisseur's selection of political repartee at its best.

Famous for his delectably dry humor, Senator Bob Dole brings us the ultimate bipartisan book: some of his favorite witticisms, hilarious remarks, and wry observations of the great political figures of this century.

Bob Dole's political career may not have taken him to the White House, but he did pick up some great stories along the way. In this delightful collection, the longtime United States senator shares his favorite anecdotes, witticisms, and reminiscences.

From the campaign trail to the Oval Office, from smoked-filled rooms to the chambers of the Capitol, Bob Dole surveys a century of political wit. There are bon mots from Calvin Coolidge, Winston Churchill, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, and a host of other political figures. Bob Dole introduces each section with mirthful moments from his own experience, displaying the gift for wry humor that has made him such a favorite guest on late-night talk shows.

A jovial--and completely bipartisan--compendium, Great Political Wit is a connoisseur's selection of political repartee at its best.

Great Political Wit will have readers rolling on both sides of the aisle.

ROOTS

On numerous occasions, Lyndon Johnson repeated this remark about two kinds of speeches: "The Mother Hubbard speech, which, like the garment, covers everything but touches nothing; and the French bathing suit speech, which covers only the essential points."

CAMPAIGNING

Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy remembers, "I ran for the Senate at a very young age, and one of the issues used by the opponents was that I had never worked a day in my life. One day I was going through one of the factories in my state to meet the workers. And I will never forget the fellow who came up to me, shook my hand, and said: 'Mr. Kennedy, I understand that you have never worked a day in your life. Let me tell you, you haven't missed a thing.'"

THE PRESIDENCY

In a letter to his sister in 1947, Truman wrote: "All the President is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway."
...

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Reviews

Media Reviews

Author Blurb Elizabeth Dole, President, American Red Cross
Considering that when I was Secretary of Transportation, Bob once said the Federal Highway Administration used my biscuit recipe to fill potholes, I'm tempted to give this book a bad review. But the fact is that Great Political Wit captures the Bob Dole I know and love--warm, funny, with a unique ability to laugh at himself.

Author Blurb Jim Lehrer
Bob Dole has always given us a chance to laugh with him--at himself and at other politicians. Now he's put that wit and humor of his with those of others into a book that is pure joy. And meshed into the joy is a lot of pointed satire about life in the fast and sometimes crazy lanes of American politics.

Author Blurb Larry King
Bob Dole has one of the most humorous minds, not only of any politician I've ever known, but of any person I have ever known. Some people say funny things, some people see things that are funny, Bob Dole does both.

Author Blurb Larry King
Bob Dole has one of the most humorous minds, not only of any politician I've ever known, but of any person I have ever known. Some people say funny things, some people see things that are funny, Bob Dole does both.

Author Blurb President George Bush
Great Political Wit keeps me laughing with some of the most humorous moments in political history. Senator Dole has shown us that he is still able to get the last laugh.

Reader Reviews

Mandy Stephens

I read this book for a Political Science class, and it offered some fun insight to the lives of those that we hold high in the US. I enjoyed this book and would love to see more "humor in the White House".

Write your own review!

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

If you liked Great Political Wit, try these:

  • American Rhapsody jacket

    American Rhapsody

    by Joe Eszterhas

    Published 2001

    About this book

    A brilliant, unnerving, hugely entertaining look at our political culture, our heroes and villains - will delight some and outrage others, but it will not be ignored.

  • Little Green Men jacket

    Little Green Men

    by Christopher Buckley

    Published 2000

    About this book

    More by this author

    A millennial comedy of manners about aliens and pundits . . . and how much they have in common.

Read-Alikes are one of the many benefits of membership. To see the complete list of this book's read-alikes, you need to be a member.
More books by Robert Dole
Search read-alikes
How we choose read-alikes
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: The Message
    The Message
    by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    It does not surprise me that Ta-Nehisi Coates' The Message is one of the most important books I've ...
  • Book Jacket
    The House of Doors
    by Tan Twan Eng
    Every July, I take on the overly ambitious goal of reading all of the novels chosen as longlist ...
  • Book Jacket: The Puzzle Box
    The Puzzle Box
    by Danielle Trussoni
    During the tumultuous last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, a 17-year-old emperor known as Meiji ...
  • Book Jacket
    Something, Not Nothing
    by Sarah Leavitt
    In 2020, after a lifetime of struggling with increasingly ill health, Sarah Leavitt's partner, ...

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Pony Confidential
    by Christina Lynch

    In this whimsical mystery, a grumpy pony must clear his beloved human's name from a murder accusation.

Who Said...

Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

X M T S

and be entered to win..