Anonymous Patron writes “Los Angeles Times writer warren Vieth draws some odd conclusions from Dubya’s summer reading list. He Writes According to the White House, one of three books Bush chose to read on his five-week vacation is “Salt: A World History” by Mark Kurlansky, who chronicled the rise and fall of what once was considered the world’s most strategic commodity. Bush, a former oil company chief, has not said why he picked Kurlansky’s 484-page saga. “The president enjoys reading and learning about history,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
But the analogies between salt and oil are striking.”
odd?
Why are the conclusions odd? Its a very good article and the comparisons seem appropriate.
Funny quote: “What I find fascinating, and it’s probably a positive thing about the White House, is they don’t seem to do any research about the writers when they pick the books,â€? Kurlansky said.
Who are ‘they’ and why would it be necessary? History can be used politically but unless they actually distort facts the reader is always free to come to a different conclusion.
Re:odd?
Perhaps a librarian recommended it. I understand they sometimes do that.
Salting the mines
Except of course that the world isn’t having trouble finding more cheap salt resources, it being biologically renewable and all …
Re:Salting the mines
I would say chemically renewable not biologically. If you combine an acid and a base you get water and a salt.
For example:
This is of course common table salt, however the product of any acid + base reaction is a salt, although not necessarily sodium chloride.
Oh and by the way the SUB tag does not work here so you have to push the 2 down a little yourself.
maybe he should stick with Garfield treasuries?
This got picked up and ran in our paper this morning. It was interesting that two of the three writers were very anti-Bush and used this story and the sudden publicity to speak out against his politics. Reading *can* hurt you!
Oh, he reads books?
What a fantastic quote. If I were an author and John Kerry read my book and someone told me about it I would respond with a little more tact than that.
How about, “How nice I hope he enjoys it. I feel the story of salt is analagous to the story of fossil fuels that we are living today.”
See, that would express a viewpoint and not make the author look like a political (or just plain) tool.
If I wrote a book I’d be delighted if Castro and Benedict XVI read it.
“Oh, he reads books,” simply brilliant. I bet all Yale graduates read books – John Kerry and George Bush included.
So perhaps this pastry chef turned author (including the famous book Cod about of course fish and its role in the development of civilization) should not insult his readers.
I’m waiting for his next best seller, Water: the Universal Solvent.
Happy to hear he’s reading about the 1918 flu
I was happy to hear that the President is reading “The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History” by John M. Barry. The current and near-term threat posed by bioterrorism PALES next to the likely impact of the next major influenza pandemic, or the next pandemic of whatever else might be out there. And we don’t have adequate monitoring, vaccines, or antiviral drugs in place for the next pandemic.
Hopefully by learning about the proven devastation in the past will help the President better prepare for the future. Better to address true major threats than pursue phantom menances.
I also totally agree with mdoneil that a more respectful and thoughtful response than “He reads books?” was needed from the anti-Bush authors.
Hope he enjoys his reading on the ranch…
…some other people who considered themselves leaders had other hobbies (fiddling?) while paying scant attention to what was happening all around them.