Who Let the Dogs In?: Incredible Political Animals I Have Known | 
 enlarge | Author: Molly Ivins
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 432880
Media: Paperback
Pages: 384
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0812973070
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.9290207
EAN: 9780812973075
ASIN: 0812973070
Publication Date: July 12, 2005
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Amazon.com Review
Veteran columnist Molly Ivins, a rare and highly irreverent Texas liberal, is back with a collection of columns gathered from a rich and varied career covering some of the best source material a writer with a knack for whimsy could wish for: politicians. In Who Let the Dogs In, Ivins offers her thoughts on politicos from the Reagan era through the administration of George W. Bush (whom she first nicknamed "Shrub" way back in his early Texas days). While Ivins is of the lefty persuasion, she is far from doctrinaire, which helps separate her from the scores of lockstep pundits on either side: she credits Bill Clinton with being a brilliant politician and condemns the policies of Bush as being terrible for average Americans, but also presents stinging criticisms of Clinton's failed initiatives and defends Bush as being smarter than most give him credit for. Her words are strong, her writing is clear, and her thoughts are well organized. Of course, most people remember a Molly Ivins column for the humor, and we get to witness her firing missiles at low-flying targets like Newt Gingrich and Ross Perot and describing Bush's puzzling lead over Al Gore among men in the 2000 campaign, "One guy played football, went to Vietnam, and is notoriously emotionally distant. The other guy was a cheerleader who got into a National Guard unit through family influence, lost money in the oil business, traded Sammy Sosa and is now sliding through a presidential race on charm. Do I not get American men, or what?" Who Let the Dogs In lacks some of the focus of her Shrub and Bushwhacked simply because it's about a whole generation of political characters as opposed to one memorable Texan, but such broader perspective also affords an opportunity to better understand America's recent history and maybe get a few laughs while doing it. --John Moe
Product Description
The dazzling, inimitable Molly Ivins is back, with her own personal Hall of Fame of America’s most amazing and outlandish politicians–the wicked, the wise, the witty, and the witless–drawn from more than twenty years of reporting on the folks who attempt to run our government (in some cases, into the ground).
Who Let the Dogs In? takes us on a wild ride through two decades of political life, from Ronald Reagan, through Big George and Bill Clinton, to our current top dog, known to Ivins readers simply as Dubya. But those are just a few of the political animals who are honored and skewered for our amusement. Ivins also writes hilariously, perceptively, and at times witheringly of John Ashcroft, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, H. Ross Perot, Tom DeLay, Ann Richards, Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, and the current governor of Texas, who is known as Rick “Goodhair” Perry.
Following close on the heels of her phenomenally successful Bushwhacked and containing an up-to-the-minute Introduction for the campaign season, Who Let the Dogs In? is political writing at its best.
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
 Hooray for Molly February 8, 2008
Martha A. Bartter (Kirksville, Missouri)
Anything we can still find written before Molly Ivins died last year is golden. This analysis of politicians (mainly Texans, whom Molly treats as a breed apart) makes one wonder why so few people apparently took heed of her descriptions and warnings and actually elected most of them. She knew better.
Molly was the best June 12, 2007
John A. Canuteson
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is typical of the late Molly Ivins' spirited humor. She came to the college where I taught and delivered a lecture a few years before she died. Every educated person in Kansas City filled the auditorium to capacity--many students had to sit onstage with her. But the educated audience demonstrated appropriate behavior in the face of her pilloring right-wing politicians: they laughed until their tongues came out their noses and they fell out of their chairs. She accomplished a four-year liberal arts education in just over an hour.
If only America had listened to Molly! February 7, 2006
Robin Orlowski (United States)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Using her trademark witty writing, Molly Ivins delivered up another awesome collection of political writings. She was the one who recognized the threat which George W. Bush posed to society long before a majority of the public (including us in the Lone Star State) knew who he was.
Ivins also knows when to criticize her 'friends' making this book so much more than a 'bash Republicans' reader. Loads of credible facts are tucked into her home-spun writing. This to me is the biggest difference between progressives and the far right; we argue on the facts and in reality while they want to mislead the American public into despair using whatever fabrication is most convenient at the moment.
However, I wish this book had (at least some) new material inside or 'extras' given her tremendous insight and foresight into Texas and American politics. Instead, it is only a collection of her past writings, sufficient in most cases but a letdown specifically because we are talking Molly Ivins.
Already owning her books, I subsequently passed on this title to a friend who is also a 'Molly fan' but is on a much tighter-book buying budget. Yet, I still admire that she reminds the world that we Texas liberals are out there!
Hilarious but interesting June 18, 2005
mxpayn65 (Virginia Beach, VA)
14 out of 17 found this review helpful
When it comes to needing a straight shooting Texas liberal who is not afraid of the BIG BAD GOP, look no further than Molly Ivins. Combined with wit and humor, Ivins gives the left out facts about the conservative cronies you won't find on MSNBC, CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, or any other mainstream media outlet. Give this book a read when you need some political humor or are sick and tired of the rightwing fascists in the media and government. The more you know about these dirty conservative elitists, the more you'll think twice before giving them the keys to govern.
Interesting and comprehensive May 6, 2005
Catty Chat (Roswell, NM)
9 out of 13 found this review helpful
Molly Ivins is one of the best political authors and columnists out there today, in my opinion. "Who Let the Dogs In?" is one of the better political books I've read recently. It's interesting and has a lot of information about the key political figures of our time-a must read for anyone interested in our current political scene. I, also, enjoy Molly's humorous touches. She knows her subject and is funny, too.
I did note, however, that the on cover illustration of
George W. Bush as a dog is that of a chihuahua. I thought
Ross Perot was "the chihuahua". Bush should've been done as a pitbull as that would be more in keeping with his stubborn personality. The other illustrations of various political figures as dogs are definitely worth looking at, though.
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