Free Republic

By Orson Scott Card February 5, 2006 What to Make of George W. BushI just finished reading Fred Barnes's book Rebel-in-Chief: Inside the Bold and Controversial Presidency of George W. Bush. It's engaging and readable, despite a few editorial lapses -- though one must keep in mind that the author is far from impartial. Barnes is executive editor of The Weekly Standard, a frankly conservative magazine -- though one of the best of the breed -- and he is the conservative cohost of The Beltway Boys on Fox News. In other words, he takes it for granted that Ronald Reagan...

One of the perquisites of being president is the ability to have the author of a book you enjoyed pop into the White House for a chat. Over the years, a number of writers have visited President Bush, including Natan Sharansky, Bernard Lewis and John Lewis Gaddis. And while the meetings are usually private, they rarely ruffle feathers. Now, one has. In his new book about Mr. Bush, "Rebel in Chief: Inside the Bold and Controversial Presidency of George W. Bush," Fred Barnes recalls a visit to the White House last year by Michael Crichton, whose 2004 best-selling novel, "State...

Rebel in Chief : Inside the Bold and Controversial Presidency of George W. Bushby Fred BarnesThis title will be released on January 17, 2006.