Great Presidential Wit (...I Wish I Was in the Book): A Collection of Humorous Anecdotes and Quotations (Paperback)

by Bob Dole (Author) "I've endured a great deal of ridicule without much malice," Lincoln once observed, "and have received a great deal of kindness not quite free from..." (more)
Key Phrases: White House, New York, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Friends and foes alike recognize that Bob Dole is one of the funniest men in American politics, and Great Presidential Wit is an excellent collection of wit and wisdom drawn from public life. It reads much like Dole's previous book, Great Political Wit, even if it has a narrower focus. Dole begins by ranking every president on a humor scale, and in doing so, he makes an interesting point: "At the top of the heap ... I place Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, and the two Roosevelts. By most accounts they are also among the most effective chief executives. Coincidence? I don't think so." (At the bottom of the heap is Millard Fillmore. Writes Dole: "Don't get me wrong. Fillmore's been good for many a chuckle over the years. It's just that most of the laughter has come at his expense.")

Dole frankly assesses each president for his wit: "Now comes the part sure to keep this book out of several presidential birthplace gift shops," he deadpans. Here he is on John Adams: "Often cranky and full of insults--an eighteenth century Don Rickles." On George Washington: "First in peace, first in war, but middle of the pack when it came to humor." On Richard Nixon: "Those weren't jokes that were deleted from the Watergate tapes."

The bulk of Great Presidential Wit, however, is a collection of jokes and humorous stories. Sometimes they are old-fashioned knee-slappers. When Stephen A. Douglas called Lincoln two-faced, Lincoln asked the audience, "I leave it to you. If I had another face, do you think I would wear this one?" Sometimes they have a deeper meaning. "It has been my experience," said Lincoln on another occasion, "that folks who have no vices generally have very few virtues." Ronald Reagan fills up quite a few pages: "An economist is someone who sees something happen in practice and wonders if it'd work in theory," he once said. Calvin Coolidge, one of the most underrated presidents, turns out to be one of the best at combining wisdom and humor: "Perhaps one of the most important accomplishments of my administration has been minding my own business." Here's John F. Kennedy answering a reporter's question about how he became a war hero aboard PT 109: "It was absolutely involuntary. They sank my boat." Bill Clinton delivered this howler in 1995, on (humorous) ways the government can save money: "Combining the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms with both the Bureau of Fisheries and the Interstate Trucking Commission. We're going to call it the Department of Guys." Great Presidential Wit is a joy to read or browse, and highly recommended for anyone who likes politics served with a dash of humor. --John J. Miller --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
"After his perennial rival, Stephen A. Douglas, called him two-faced, Lincoln turned to his audience and drawled, `I leave it to you. If I had another face, do you think I would wear this one?'" Lincoln's comeback is only one of many presidential quips, jokes, sarcasms, witticisms, self-deprecations and word-plays cited by Bob Dole in Great Presidential Wit: I Wish I Was in the Book. Convinced of the salubrity of humor in the Oval Office, Dole sets out to show that the most respected, fondly remembered and effectual presidents have been endowed with a funny bone, debunking the notion of the necessarily solemn face of leadership.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (May 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743215273
• ISBN-13: 978-0743215275
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #467,059 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Anecdotes and witticisms that add a human touch, December 8, 2003

By	Craig Matteson (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Great Presidential Wit (...I Wish I Was in the Book): A Collection of Humorous Anecdotes and Quotations (Hardcover)

After the success of "Great Political Wit", Senator Dole followed up with this book. It is a book full of witty sayings of and anecdotes about our Presidents. He has grouped the Presidents from the wittiest descending to the point of having good stories about those Presidents that weren't particularly funny. Mr. Dole even provides his own ranking of the Presidents as wits from #1 - Lincoln down to #41 - poor Millard Fillmore.

These stories and witty sayings are generally quite good. Some you will want to remember. He even has a last section on George W. Bush and Al Gore. You will remember some of these from your own reading of the news and watching Letterman and Leno.

What I like about these little stories is the human touch they add to the too often formal and impersonal view we have of our Presidents. We see their pictures, memorize a couple of dates and maybe some key legislation or war during their time in office and that will be it. We seldom get to know them as people. These stories, in just a few sentences, show their character and view of themselves, their time, and the world in which they lived. Sure, too much can be made of them. But they do add something useful and a chuckle or two never hurt anyone's day.

This is a bit larger volume than the first book, but it doesn't read long. And, like the first one, it is fun to just dip into now and again.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very funny, July 23, 2001

By	Kurt A. Johnson (Marseilles, Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Great Presidential Wit (...I Wish I Was in the Book): A Collection of Humorous Anecdotes and Quotations (Hardcover)

This book is a collection of short vignettes, either displaying the wit of one of America's presidents, or the wit of someone connected with the president. I must admit that I was quite surprised at the wit of some of them, notably Calvin Coolidge. (Who would have thought it?) The organization of these stories or witticisms into small bites makes this an excellent resource for speech writing. However, some of these stories are so funny that just about anyone will enjoy reading this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some insight, but no great humor, May 20, 2001

By	Charles Ashbacher "([e-mail])" (Marion, Iowa United States([e-mail])) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Great Presidential Wit (...I Wish I Was in the Book): A Collection of Humorous Anecdotes and Quotations (Hardcover)

While this book does provide insights into the lives and minds of former Presidents of the United States, the humor is generally not of the highest quality. The reason for this is obvious, the Presidents of the United States were not funny men. Quite frankly, some in the nineteenth century were men who were compromise candidates chosen more for their perceived weaknesses than strengths. Bob Dole, who tried for the job several times but never made it, places them into eight categories, from " A Class By Themselves" to "The Jokes On Them." The one surprise in the grouping was Calvin Coolidge, who was ranked fifth, right before John Kennedy. Given his public persona, it is amazing that Coolidge would be considered to have been a witty, humorous man.
For those at the bottom, the tales are those that barely raise a ripple in your brow. I understand why Dole would have wanted to include something from every president, but those stories are the major weakness of the book. In some cases, it is necessary to resort to tales of biting sarcasm of others rather than wit.
To appreciate the strongest part of the book, it is necessary to read it from a historical perspective. The early presidents were men of an aristocratic flavor, and were definitely no-nonsense types as they tried to build and advance a young nation with tremendous potential and an experimental government. As the nation became more divided and moved towards an internal war the president was rather a lame figure. The giant of them all was Lincoln, ranked first by Dole and someone who is clearly the best president this country has ever had. He was also someone that you would like on a personal level. Another theme running through the book is how so many presidents viewed it as a prison as much as anything else and were eager to leave the position.
There are few tales in this book that will make you laugh out loud. At best you will chuckle and see some of the former presidents in a way you did not before.