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The Right Man: An Inside Account of the Bush White House
 
 
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The Right Man: An Inside Account of the Bush White House [Paperback]

David Frum (Author)
3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Book Description

January 18, 2005
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 worked with President Bush in the Oval Office, traveled 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, with revealing portraits of Karl Rove, Karen Hughes, Condoleezza Rice, and many others. Most significant, he tells the story of the transformation of George W. Bush: how a president whose administration began in uncertainty became one of the most decisive, successful, and popular leaders of our time.

Before becoming a White House speechwriter, David Frum was a highly regarded author of books and political commentary and an influential voice on the pages of The Wall Street Journal and The Weekly Standard. His commentary has been described by William F. Buckley as “the most refreshing ideological experience in a generation.” Now, in The Right Man, we see Frum as 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 our president really is and how he is likely to lead us in the future.


From the Hardcover edition.

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Customers buy this book with How We Got Here: The 70's: The Decade That Brought You Modern Life--For Better or Worse $18.95

The Right Man: An Inside Account of the Bush White House + How We Got Here: The 70's: The Decade That Brought You Modern Life--For Better or Worse


Editorial Reviews

Review

“George W. Bush was hardly the obvious man for the job. But by a very strange fate, he turned out to be, of all unlikely things, the right man.” --from The Right Man, by David Frum


From the Hardcover edition.

From the Inside Flap

The Right Man is a behind-the-scenes look at the George W. Bush White House?how the president's stature grew and how his administration followed by a former member of the Bush team who had unique access to the Oval Office. Frum offers a fascinating and unprecedented account of a sitting president.
Updated, and with a new Afterword by the author, The Right Man is an essential book for understanding Bush and his administration. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (January 18, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0812974905
  • ISBN-13: 978-0812974904
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,530,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 42 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read a number of the reviews, and am somewhat disappointed that many reviewers take this space to express their own political views (generally along the lines of how "bad" a president George Bush has been), but not enough about the merits and entertainment value of this book. I mean, isn't that why we read books (or listen to a CD or watch a movie)? We want to be entertained, and maybe (hopefully) learn a thing or two along the way. On those standards, "The Right Man: The Surprise Presidency of George W. Bush" passes the test easily. I read this book recently while on vacation, on a beach, to give you an idea of my state of mind while reading this book.

David Frum was a speechwriter on economic issues for about 14 months (early 2001 to early 2002). Is the account of the Bush-insider self-serving to a degree? Sure it is, but what's wrong with that? (Do you believe for one second that Bill Clinton's autobiography is not?) What appealed to me most were Frum's observations and insights on the "power struggle" between Karl Rove and Karen Hughes, and around them. In fact, for a White House administration that on the outside comes across well-disciplined, the overwhelming feeling one gets is that EVERYTHING is a power struggle. How anything ever gets decided anymore, is amazing to me.

The Amazon.com editorial review on the hardcover issue of this book is sceptical that Frum left on his own device. I never got that impression. Frum's explanation that in a post-9/11 landscape, where economic issues are secondary to fighting the war on terrorosm, and therefore the need for a economic speechwriter is greatly diminished, came across as reasonable and credible to me. Maybe I'm just naive, who knows. In any event, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and that's good enough for me, although I imagine that many of the anti-Bush zealots may feel differently.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Interesting February 27, 2005
Format:Paperback
I found this book interesting due to the level of info not found in newspapers and on television. An actual insiders view of the President and his staff. It's nice to hear that all of the negativity we hear daily about the President and his staff may not all be true.

But this isn't about politics. This is a review about a book! The book is pretty well written and tells a good story of a man whom came to the White House skeptical and had his views turned by a meeting directly with the President himself. Whatever your politics, you have to think that if a book holds information like that we should all be encouraged to read it. No matter what your affiliation.

I gave it only four stars due to the end. It seemed to drag a bit at the end and left me wanting more info about the administration.
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46 of 71 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
What made this book interesting was the author wasn't a Bush fan to begin with. This was an educational book for me, offering a look at the man and the administration that some Democrats and the news media loves to hate. I agree with one of the other reviewers that the first few chapters do paint an administration that may have been mediocre but today there is no questioning the strong leadership and values of a successful administration. I finally understand why his critics hate him so -- It's because George W. Bush did not live up to their expectations of failure, because he has turned this country around to a powerful country with a strong (and getting stronger) economy and a proud and powerful military, because he has a positive vision and truly believes in that which he says and he believe in his country, but most of all, because his critics can't figure him out. They just don't get how someone could want a strong and free America and world. George W. Bush is, beyond all words and without a doubt, the right man for the job.

He has earned my respect and support.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Worthless claptrap worthy of burning in my fireplace
I found this at Goodwill and it wasn't worth the 69 cents I paid for it: a syncophantic treatment from an insider in one of the worst administrations of any nation in the history... Read more
Published on October 21, 2008 by Eric R. Steiner
Terror is a tactic not an enemy!
On page 139, Frum talks about how rescue workers at ground zero did not vote for Bush in 2000 and guess what- they still didn't vote for him in 2004! Read more
Published on December 2, 2004 by googa1
Our most embarrassing export.
Little more than a right wing diatribe extolling the virtues of the worst president in American history. Read more
Published on November 15, 2004 by Dogman
Good Book, responses to other reviewers.
In reference to "Stop the hatred!, November 10, 2004

Reviewer: Metalhead (Indianapolis, IN United States)" I have to wonder if you read this book. Read more
Published on November 12, 2004 by Just a Girl
Stop the hatred!
Excuse me, Randy Dillow, this is a spot for reviews of a book, not a platform for your personal attacks on the left. Read more
Published on November 10, 2004 by Metalhead
Propaganda
Im sick of listening to republicans spreading propaganda about John Kerry through Micheal Moore film reviews so heres a little well respected pay back. Read more
Published on September 26, 2004 by Ezekiel ( Im a Buddist for usa)
Bush! Love Him!!
I love President Bush! This book explains why he is perceived as devisive. He views events, people and situations with moral clarity and sticks to his principals. Read more
Published on February 24, 2004
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
MISSED YOU AT Bible study. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
joint session speech, strategic ambiguity
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
White House, United States, New York, Middle East, Oval Office, Saddam Hussein, State Department, President Bush, Executive Office Building, West Wing, Karen Hughes, Karl Rove, State of the Union, Saudi Arabia, United Nations, Colin Powell, George Bush, National Security Council, Pearl Harbor, Ronald Reagan, The Washington Post, Air Force One, Soviet Union, Social Security, Bill Clinton
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