Matter Of Character Inside The White House Of George W Bush

Honesty. Integrity. Clarity of purpose. These are the qualities that Ronald Kessler, author of the New York Times best-seller Inside the White House, discovered while investigating our current president who is so scrutinized -- and so criticized -- at home and around the world. After digging deeply into the inner sanctum of the White House and George W. Bush's personal life, Kessler discovered that most of what people think they know about Bush simply isn't true. For instance, that he's not very smart. That he can't focus on complex issues. That he has repeated and intentionally lied to the public. That he's narrow-minded about his Christian faith and his conservative beliefs. That he lets other people make the big decisions for him. All myths -- driven mainly by biased reporting in the media. Kessler has been granted extraordinary access to the administration and its key players, including Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Andrew Card, Karl Rove, Condoleezza Rice, and many others. He discovers how Bush acts when the television cameras leave: honest to a fault, open to new ideas, grounded with common people, and powerful without pretense. He reveals how America's first M.B.A. president negotiates challenges such as terrorism, the economy, and education reform. In addition to senior officials, Kessler also interviewed dozens of Secret Service agents, former presidential aides, and career White House employees -- on deep background -- who know the George W. Bush that the public never sees, and know how he really compares with his predecessors. And some of Bush's closest friends reveal how down-to-earth he has remained since his middle-class boyhood in West Texas. The pressures of the White House always expose the true character of any president. In this election year, as Americans reevaluate the qualifications and policies of George W. Bush, they will conclude that the most important consideration is character. And if all you know of Bush is what you've heard from the media, prepare to be surprised.