It Looks Like a President Only Smaller: Trailing Campaign 2000 - Softcover

It's not entirely clear whether Washington Post reporter Joel Achenbach is a journalist who writes with humor or a humorist who engages in journalism, but that hardly matters. It Looks Like a President Only Smaller is a witty chronicle of the 2000 presidential election that bears no resemblance to The Making of the President. As Achenbach writes in his introduction: "There was no intention at any point to document comprehensively the events of 2000; these are word-doodles, some marginalia on the historical record." The result is a fast-paced and funny account of the Bush and Gore campaigns.

Here's a (satirical) memo sent to George W. Bush from his advisors, right after John McCain beat him in the New Hampshire primary:

What did McCain do that we didn't do? The obvious answer is: He campaigned vigorously and honestly and openly, and told people what he believed. It was a brilliant maneuver on his part and we are kicking ourselves for not having thought of it first.... We have prepared a packet of three-by-five cards containing spontaneous comments that you may want to make.

Here's Achenbach on the Democratic candidate: "Al Gore, despite all appearances, is actually a human being. He's super nice. He does normal-person things all the time. He's only weirdly stiff, mannered, and mechanical on the exterior. You'd really like him if you were to spend twenty or twenty-five years getting to know him."

Some of the jokes fail, but most of the time they're right on target--and in any event, it's usually only another sentence or two before the next punchline. Readers who laugh at the humor of Dave Barry will also enjoy Achenbach, especially if they don't take their politics too seriously. --John J. Miller

Joel Achenbach is the author of Captured by Aliens and Why Things Are. He covered the 2000 campaign for The Washington Post and washingtonpost.com.