Product Description

The Right Man is the first inside account of a historic year in the Bush White House, by the presidential speechwriter credited with the phrase axis of evil. David Frum helped make international headlines when President George W. Bush's 2002 State of the Union address linked international terrorists to Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. But that was only one moment during a crucial time in American history, when a president, an administration, and a country were transformed. Frum not only worked with Bush in the Oval Office, but travelled with him aboard Air Force One, and studied him closely at meetings and events. He describes how Bush thinks-what this conservative president believes about religion, race, the environment, Jews, Muslims, and America's future. Frum takes us behind the scenes of one of the most secretive administrations in recent history. Most significant, he tells the story of Bush's transformation: how a president whose administration began in uncertainty became one of the most decisive, successful, and in the US at least, popular leaders of our time. Frum is a front-row observer and participant. Not since Peggy Noonan's account of her time in the Reagan White House has an insider portrayed a sitting president with such precision, verve, honest admiration, and insight. The Right Man will command international attention for its thoughtful account of George W. Bush in the midst of his greatest challenge. It will be an essential reference for anyone seeking to understand who the US president really is and how he is likely to lead his country and the western world in the future.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #758784 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
According to former White House speechwriter David Frum in The Right Man, George W Bush is "a good man who is not a weak man. He is impatient, quick to anger; sometimes glib, even dogmatic, often uncurious, and as a result ill-informed." Frum chronicles a tenure spent serving a president whom he comes to admire more after the events of September 11, 2001.

It is after working with Bush in times of war that Frum says of him "outweighing the faults are his virtues: decency, honesty, rectitude, courage, and tenacity." The Right Man creates an arc in that Frum is originally dubious of Bush's leadership capacity and ends up sold on Bush as commander-in-chief. But in truth, Frum never has far to go. He's impressed with Bush from the start and when war comes, he's more impressed. Fortunately, there are entertaining helpings of candour: the stringent White House dress code, infighting among cabinet members, and unbelievably cool Air Force One trips. Also of particular interest are events surrounding the controversial phrase "axis of evil": Frum helps coin it, his wife boasts of that fact in an e-mail to friends, the e-mail is widely forwarded, and, soon after, Frum resigns.

The Right Man is a multifaceted glimpse at the life of a White House insider and a president in a time of crisis; it should appeal to readers curious to learn about the inner workings of the American presidency. --John Moe

Review
As you know David Frum was with us for two and a half days (28,29 and 30 May) to promote his "brilliant insider account of the Bush presidency" (Michael Gove, The Times) and we have arranged a solid programme of back-to-back book-based publicity on broadcast news programmes. We kick off with Start the Week(BBC1), and other highlights include Newsnight (BBC2) on Monday, a half hourspecial on Sky News, the Simon Mayo Show (BBC Radio 5) on Tuesday and BBC Breakfast (BBC1) on Wednesday which will also air on BBC Online, BBC World, BBCNews24. Additional publicity includes an interview for Scotland on Sunday newspaper and Good Morning Scotland (the Scottish equivalent of the Today programme), The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Dublin, Late Night Live on ABC Radioin Australia, the David Prever Show on LBC (transmission date of 6 May), andHardtalk with Tim Sebastian on News24. In addition, David Frum will be profiled in a Panorama special on BBC1 which will air in June - I'll let you know as soon as we have a confirmed transmission date. Informal signings include Politicos, Hatchards, and Blackwells. Reviews are also looking good with the Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph already confirmed - more news next week. David has also written an early article for the EVENING STANDARD which ran on 27March and the EVENING HERALD (28 March). A hugely successful visit, with David also having meetings with eminent historians including David Pryce Jones, Andrew Roberts and William Shawcross. And Andrew Marr giving us a big plug inthe Daily Telegraph (30 April) and Mark Steyn giving us another in the DailyTelegraph on 13 May. Reviews are now coming in: "Frum's intriguing memoir covers an apocalyptic period in American presidential politics."THE SUNDAY TIMES 'Do read this book....... this well-written and highly intelligent analysisof Bush's presidency is a surprise, just as the presidency has surprised Frum, who joined George W. after his inauguration, despite thinking him intellectually muddled. 'MICHAEL PORTILLO, THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH "In this revealing book, David Frum has given us a ringside view of George W Bush's presidency. Itshows us a politician who is more agile, imaginative and measured than his opponents, at home and abroad, ever suspected. It is fascinating stuff."GEORGEOSBORNE, THE SPECTATOR "An insider account of his time working and travelling with the president from inauguration to the time of writing." HERALD More ne

From the Back Cover
'His brilliant insider account of the Bush presidency' - Michael Gove, The Times A historic year in the Bush White House, by the presidential speechwriter credited with the phrase 'axis of evil'. David Frum helped make international headlines when President George W. Bush's 2002 State of the Union address linked international terrorists to Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. But that was only one moment during a crucial time in American history, when a president, an administration, and a country were transformed. Frum not only worked with Bush in the Oval Office, but also travelled with him aboard Air Force One, and studied him closely at meetings and events. He describes how Bush thinks - what this conservative president believes about religion, race, the environment, Jews, Muslims, and America's future. Frum takes us behind the scenes of one of the most secretive administrations in recent history. Most significant, he tells the story of Bush's transformation: how a president whose administration began in uncertainty became one of the most decisive, successful, and in the US at least, popular leaders of our time. Frum is a front-row observer and participant. Not since Peggy Noonan's account of her time in the Reagan White House has an insider portrayed a sitting president with such precision, verve, honest admiration, and insight. The Right Man will command international attention for its thoughtful account of George W. Bush in the midst of his greatest challenge. It will be an essential reference for anyone seeking to understand who the US president really is and how he is likely to lead his country and the western world in the future. Weidenfeld & Nicolson Non-Fiction

Customer Reviews

An insight into "Cowboy" Bush
This may well be the best book written about President George Bush until long after he leaves
office -- provided his future biographers can match Frum's insight, intellect, innocence and industry.

With devastating candor, reinforced by hero worship, Frum details the intensity of the control
freaks who run the Bush administration. He unveils a staff more dedicated to total loyalty to a
leader than is ever seen on The Sopranos, showing an image of sterile tidiness that is shocked by
Clinton staffers who anything as crude as pizza at midnight.

As an outsider, despite his wet puppy craving for affection, Frum offers a variety of devastating --
or magnificently uplifting -- insights into the character and goals of Bush. This is a book that will
thrill every conservative and dismay anyone who thinks for himself.

Frum, like Bush, is not satisfied with being right unless he can prove others wrong. Thus, the 'you
are with us or with the terrorists' fanaticism; control freaks never tolerate an independent thought. It
is hardly surprising that so few outside the US share this fanaticism; maybe it's because "them
furriners" know that anyone who is as war with others is not at peace with themself.

Let's face it: Bush has the world's toughest job. Anything he does affects the world. Nothing that
98 percent of the world's leaders do has more than a ripple impact on events; for example, a
unilateral decision by Canada to launch a war on terror would heard merely as a superb example
of Canadian humour instead of courageous resolve.

Frum is a superb writer, analyst and story teller, skilled at using what he says is a Bush technique.
He says Bush wins loyalty by sharing little personal secrets with those in a personal conversation,
"thrusting a gift upon us, the most precious gift a person can offer: a little piece of himself. By
revealing himself to us, he bound us to him." This book is filled with such personal insights in an
effort to generate loyalty for Bush. You won't find many "insider" books that are better than Frum.

So why does Bush so infuriate people? Well, if he's right, he invalidates generations of wishful
dreams and empty thoughts that have guided American policy toward the Arabs for at least the
past 50 years. If he's wrong, his bumbling bombast will give us generations of unrest, terror and
war. Our future rests on the roll of Bush's iron dice.

Whether you like or fear Bush, there's plenty here to reinforce your views in a bright, candid and
easy-to-read 284 pages. Conservatives will finish it and contentedly sigh, "Thank God." With a
tremor in their voice, liberals will beg, "Please, God . . ."

Quite simply, Frum says, Bush intends to remake the Arab world. He sees Iraq, an ally of the
Nazis in 1940, as merely the first and wobbliest domino. Bush is tired of oil patch tyrants. By the
time US troops come home, he expects every Arab will know the meaning of "a government of all
the people, by all the people, for all the people."

No, that isn't a Lincoln quote. It's from Theodore Parker on May 29, 1850, at the NE
Anti-Slavery Convention in Boston. Like Parker, Bush intends to set in motion a great chain of
events such as those which ended slavery by 1865 in the US. Frum hopes a similar vision will
topple tyranny in today's Arab world.

So, what is Bush like? Frum concludes, "He is impatient and quick to anger; sometimes glib, even
dogmatic; often uncurious and as a result ill informed; more convention in his thinking than a leader
probably should be. But outweighing the faults are his virtues: decency, honesty, rectitude, courage,
and tenacity."

Anyone, on either side of Bush's crusade to reorder, reform and remap the Arab world will find
this book to be an Aladdin's treasure of fascinating information, opinions and dreams. The timing
for it is perfect.

the right man ?
A surprisingly fascinating book about a surprisingly fascinating subject - George W Bush. President Bush is an interesting man, honest and repectful in his approach to the presidency and the ultimate power that the position holds. I feel safer having learnt something of the man and his values. History will be the judge as to whether his actions have been correct but this is a man who believes that inaction can be a greater crime. A well written and sometimes emotional insight to a post 9/11 presidency - whether you are a fan of Bush or not read this book, you just might learn something.

Wonderful
I greatly enjoyed this book when I read it last year. I had never liked President Bush and still don't but this book made me realise what American went through during the devistating events of 9/11. I don't believe that President Bush made the best decisions, but who can say that they have? I now feel more sympathy towards the President and yet I still hope that he does not win re-election although I now think that he is doing a reasonable job.

Congratualations to David Frum for writing such an interesting and insitful book into the Bush administration.