Armey's Axioms: 40 Hard-Earned Truths from Politics, Faith and Life

As a yellow dog Democrat it pains me to say it, but I have a new admiration for Dick Armey after reading this book. It is rare to get a glimpse of a politician that reveals his or her humanity, but I actually got that sense in reading Armey's Axioms. Even for those us of who may believe that government plays a necessary and vital role in assuring the common good and care for the most marginalized in our society there is sage advice about honor and integrity to be learned from Armey's book. I highly recommend it much to the chagrin of my fellow Democrats. It's too bad we didn't always see this side of Dick Armey while he was in office but it's good to know there was a good man in Washington even if I didn't always agree with him on policy. I wish I could say that about the current Majority Leader, Tom DeLay, but I doubt he's ever had an original thought and probably lacks the ability to even write a book.

Overall I found this book by Dick Armey to be interesting, well thought out, and introspective, despite a couple of faults. I will deal with the strengths first, and the faults second. The book is easy to read, and contains a lot of good analysis. Particularly pleasing is the extensive analysis, comparison, and contrast between liberals and conservatives. This is particularly well developed in Axioms 21 and 23, 'Liberals love feelings too much', and 'Conservatives believe it when they see it, Liberals believe it when they believe it'. His arguments are cogent and fact based, and he does not resort to name calling at any point. To a fault, he is respectful of his opposition, to the point of praising noted liberal reporter David Broder of the 'Washington Post' for honest journalism and high standards. I respect that that Armey is up front and comfortable in his religion. He gives the credit for his success to God from the outset, which I respect. I believe that given his personal convictions, that he presents his religious views well, and is a credit to himself and his church (I believe that he is a Presbyterian, by the way).The book generally stays away from bashing opponents by name (except for Charlie Rangel, who Armey must really dislike) which I believe is generally good policy, but he takes it to the point of annoyance. He frequently refers to 'a member of the opposing party', or something similar, which I presume is out of courtesy, but often makes the book more difficult to follow in specific matters. I appreciate candor, and if a story needs background, I would appreciate naming names so as to better judge the wisdom being imparted. My second irritant is the claimed enormous 'success' of his cherished military base closing legislation (BRAC) that he pushed in his first term in congress. I do not endorse the necessity of military service for congressional or other political service (in fact, I am annoyed with the hypocrisy of those that slam Dick Armey for not having been in the military, but say that is was unimportant that Bill Clinton had not served) but I do think that to write legislation as significant as BRAC, it would have been appropriate to have either served in the military, or extensively called on others that had in developing the bill. The closing of "redundant and wasteful military bases" is presented in terms of a great money saving idea designed to make government smaller. In reality BRAC has proved not quite as apolitical as Armey claims, and may, in the long run, harm our defense posture in part. In fact, the horse trading done in Washington over which bases to close has never gone away, and genuinely horrible decisions (like closing Williams AFB in AZ, the biggest, most productive pilot training base with the highest number of good weather flying days annually, while keeping open Columbus AFB, MS and Vance AFB, OK which have vastly less productivity) have frequently been the hallmarks of BRAC. Do not misunderstand my poi

you'll love it! And if so, please write a positive review. The fact that the rating for this book is dragged down by reviews from those that dislike Armey is unfair. It's also a sign that the book has struck a nerve. This is a great common sense book that everyone with common sense will enjoy. So if you're close-minded or don't like common sense, you won't like it. Otherwise, this book is for you.

This is a great book! Real lessons learned and sage wisdom from a true leader. Apart from making me smile (and even laugh out loud at times!) this book really gave me hope that the cause of Freedom as originally conceived by our Founding Fathers can be acheived. As Armey's "Ultimate Axiom" reads: "Freedom Works!"

I loved this book, which doesn't surprise me since I've always been a fan of Dick Armey. The axioms are funny, and address the importance of strong, traditional values. I'm definitely going to give this book as a gift to family and friends.