Free Republic

There used to be a clear-cut distinction between writing books on history and writing historical novels. More and more that distinction is blurred. The vogue among historians today is to write histories in terms of psychological assessments of historical figures, analysing their character and ascribing motivations, often with little basis in factual documentation. The analogy may not be exact, but David Frum follows this process in "The Right Man," except that he carries it a step further.....(snip)CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE

David Frum was an odd choice for a White House speechwriter. For one thing, the Canadian-born writer wasn't even a U.S. citizen when he was hired in 2001. (He is now.)In his 1994 book, "Dead Right," he criticized leaders for not being conservative enough. He left the White House last year a firm believer in President Bush.Frum, who coined the phrase "axis of evil" in last year's State of the Union speech, spoke recently with IBD about his memoir, "The Right Man: The Surprise Presidency of George W. Bush."IBD: What do you mean by "the right man"? Frum: I mean...

WASHINGTON - Former speechwriter David Frum has authored the first inside account of the Bush White House. It is characterized by Frum's exceptional intelligence, historical fluency and pungent prose. Frum has produced an intensely gripping account of his personal experience inside the White House at one of the turning points in our history and a chronicle of the dramatic metamorphosis of George W. Bush. True, "The Right Man" is not a cheerleading book. Frum, who joined the White House somewhat skeptical about the president, maintains his critical distance and keen discernment throughout. That is what makes his insights so valuable...

Tim Russert's interview with David Frum, author of "The Right Man", is on CNBC now, and replays a few times this weekend.