Will the Gentleman Yield?

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Avid readers of the Congressional Record, Hogan and Hill offer a compilation of intentional and unintentional humor uttered on Capitol Hill, mostly in the past 20 years. Some are brief quips, such as Sen. Jesse Helms's 1982 remark about Tip O'Neill: ``We sent that bill over to the House and Mr. O'Neill sat on it. And when Mr. O'Neill sits on a bill that is a lot of coverage.'' Others are funny methods of filibustering, such as Sen. Huey P. Long's lengthy recipes for preparing ``pot likker'' and frying oysters given during a 1935 session. Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr. proves to be a standout among congressional comics, as when he states: ``I propose we do away with middle initials. I have not calculated the potential savings, but it could be significant. After all, who ever heard of Ronald W. Reagan, Bing L. Crosby, and Luke J. Skywalker?'' In addition, there are songs and stories, April Fool's jokes, poems and puns. The gentlemen have the floor, and the reader is rolling on it. (October)