Recent presidential elections have brought us a steady stream of "campaign biographies," promotional books written by or about candidates. Ever since John F. Kennedy won the Pulitzer Prize for "Profiles in Courage," a book about courageous American politicians, other politicians have been trying to put their lives, philosophies or both in print as a prelude to election.
Predictably, most of these have been forgettable -- with the notable exception this year of "Faith of My Fathers," a book by former GOP presidential candidate John McCain about his life in relation to that of his father and grandfather. Since it focuses on McCain's powerful experiences as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, coupled with candid admissions of his flaws, it has sold very well. As a gripping war story, it has been on most best-seller lists.Besides, it contains no politics.
As for the presumptive Republican nominee, George W. Bush -- his photo graces the cover of five major books, a record for any presidential candidate:
"A Charge to Keep"; by George W. Bush; Morrow; $23; 253 pages.
"First Son: George W. Bush and the Family Dynasty"; by Bill Minutaglio; Times Books; $25; 371 pages.
"Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American President"; by J. H. Hatfield; St. Martin's Press; $25.95; 367 pages. (Recalled then reissued by Soft Skull Press; paperback, $16.50.)
"W: Revenge of the Bush Dynasty"; by Elizabeth Mitchell; Hyperion, $22.95; 370 pages.
"Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush"; by Molly Ivins and Lou Debose; Random House; $19.95; 179 pages.
Not even Franklin D. Roosevelt or Ronald Reagan got so much prepresidential attention. But none of the books measures up to McCain's.
The first and most obvious entry is Bush's own book, a typical campaign biography, "A Charge to Keep." Though it carries Bush's byline, the book was primarily written by Karen Hughes, the Bush campaign communications director, whose role is acknowledged in the book's jacket. For whatever reason, Bush chose not to place her name with his on the cover.
The book gives only the barest taste of Bush's background or intentions. Instead, it is a breezy look at his political philosophy. While Bush was evidently a lax student at Yale who specialized in "the gentleman's C," one who seemed well-insulated from the controversies of the 1960s, he pictures himself as a diligent history major who was deeply worried about the Vietnam War.
He also claims to be a deeply religious man who swore off alcohol when he reached the age of 40, and a family man devoted to his wife and daughters, as well as a chip off the old block, his father, the former president. In fact, he takes great pains to praise the senior Bush for sacrificing several hours of sleep the night before a presidential debate so he could search for Spikey, a stuffed dog lost in the yard by one of his granddaughters.
Bush does allow for one personal flaw -- that he is sometimes "too blunt for my own good," and that his father is a "milder-mannered, more thoughtful man" than he is. In terms of self-criticism, that's as good as it gets. Maybe that's why it has sold poorly, even while Bush's political star has continued to rise.
Two other campaign biographies were published almost simultaneously -- "First Son," by Bill Minutaglio, and "Fortunate Son," by J.H. Hatfield. The former is a standard political biography with some interesting stories about how family money and power created a Bush dynasty, but the latter is a highly critical approach to Bush, with an emphasis on his youthful mistakes, including alleged alcoholism and participation in the drug culture.
After the latter had been distributed to dealers around the country, it was discovered that Hatfield, although a prolific author in recent years, was convicted 11 years ago for hiring a man to try to kill his boss in a car bombing. This led several critics to conclude that his word as a convicted felon could not be trusted. Embarrassed, St. Martin's Press withdrew the book, which, in some circles, made it even more interesting. But only a short time later, an upstart New York publisher, Soft Skull Press, republished 45,000 copies in paperback and it quickly sold several thousand copies.
In spite of the adverse publicity, the Hatfield book is not written in a sensational style. In fact, much of it approaches Bush in a remarkably balanced way. The most controversial portion of his book is made up of assertions in the "afterword" that Bush was arrested for cocaine use but avoided prison when his father, then a Texas congressman, arranged for his subsequent community service at a minority youth center. Hatfield says his information came from three unidentified sources.
Elizabeth Mitchell, formerly executive editor of George Magazine, has written "W." While not intended to be unfavorable, she paints a slightly disturbing picture of a young man with an almost eerie need to ape his dad's career path. The result is a portrait of a character who seems not to be his own man or to have any set of readily definable principles. Mitchell's "W" comes off as a young man in a hurry -- not to embrace an idealistic crusade but to achieve success or material prosperity.
Finally, the most interesting Bush book is one satirically called "Shrub," by Molly Ivins, a nationally known Texas syndicated columnist, in collaboration with Lou Dubose, a Texas newspaper reporter and editor.
Ivins, who is an unapologetic liberal, professes to like Bush the person but not Bush the politician.
Suggesting that Bush's problem is a lack of passion, she says in her most polished sarcasm, "If you think his dad had a problem with 'the vision thing,' wait till you meet this one."
"Shrub" reads very well in the trademark Ivins' light, entertaining style and has enjoyed several weeks on The New York Times best-seller list.
Ivins and Dubose suggest that "Dubya's record" is difficult to judge, because Texas has not only a "weak governor system," but it is the weakest of the 50 states, meaning he uses only the authority afforded by a "bully pulpit."
Again referring to the record, the authors say, "It appears that he doesn't know much, doesn't do much and doesn't care much about governing." Although he is getting considerable mileage out of a reputation for speaking Spanish, Ivins and Debose say he cannot carry on an in-depth conversation using the language.
They say the younger Bush is best known in one of two ways -- "a failed oilman with a gift for raising money, or a well-connected baseball team owner with a gift for raising money." About the assertion that Bush used his father's influence to get into the Texas Air National Guard, the candidate at first denied it absolutely, then waffled and backtracked. Unfortunately, say the authors, this is the same approach he used to drive Republicans crazy when they asked President Clinton if he avoided the draft.
If any of these books can be believed, Bush is an imperfect if personable candidate. Enjoy.