Ambing into a Book: Ambling into History

By James Baehr | Wednesday, May 29, 2002

For those interested in discovering who President George W. Bush really is, New York Times reporter Frank Bruni's work Ambling into History will offer no strong answers. Bruni's new book on President George W. Bush is not really about George W. Bush. It is about the media, and how stories are shaped and formed by those who help determine public opinion. It is an honest work, and, in that, it is refreshing. It is also, unfortunately, a shallow work, delving little into the depths of passion, the issues, or the underlying characters surrounding the 2000 election and its aftermath.

On the other hand, for those who devoured every second of campaign related news, the book may offer a few more interesting tidbits in an entertaining format. Bruni's record of Bush's analysis of his opponent, Al Gore, is both simple and profound. Bush only says of the man, 'He dyes his hair... the man dyes his hair' All of the implications of that act are left unexplained, yet the statement is withering in and of itself—proof that Gore does not know who he is. At any rate, the book moves at an entertaining clip, never dwelling too long or too hard on any particular moment.

The book also focuses much on familiar Bush material: Bush's style, aphorisms, and his oft-fraternal practices. 'He stood funny,' Bruni writes, 'his shoulders hunched forward, his arms curled towards his pants pockets, his hands slightly open, like a gunslinger determined to have the fastest draw.' Those who saw Bush in action on the campaign may well recognize the description. Much is also mentioned here of Bush's peculiar brand of physical humor in his efforts to woo the press, his nicknaming practices, his aversion to long hours of work, and several samples of his difficulties with the English language are available in the work—no new ground trod here.

Bruni does not see in Bush's playfulness a lack of sophistication or intellect. He correctly balances the Bush quirks with the Bush surprises: when the unsophisticated man would wheel out clever jokes, maintain intellectual command of complicated issues, or respond in a nuanced way to an unsuspected question.

One aspect of the Bush campaign that Bruni evaluates is the spin generated by the campaign's personnel. The campaign managers could see in all of Bush's perceived weaknesses valid strengths to be promoted. The aversion to long policy meetings meant Bush liked to cut to the chase. The lack of personal interest in particular issues meant Bush could delegate effectively to strong subordinates and focus on the big picture. Has Bush benefited from a lifetime of low expectations compared to his political successes, or has he been accurately judged and incredibly lucky politically—either paradigm fits snugly with the facts. For this reason, Bruni refrains from making clear-cut generalizations and leaves the hard evaluation for someone else.

Sometimes, Bruni's willingness to tell all hits the limits of pointless word usage. Who really cares that Bruni 'developed a fixation on those little moist towelettes stacked in dispensers in some bus and airplane bathrooms' because he became bored with all of the flying? In another priceless passage, Bruni informs us that he once, 'had spilled some Jack Daniel's onto the 'o,' 'p' and 'l' keys, and they had stopped working for the next six hours.' To remember things like this, much less write them in a well-publicized book, seems a major detraction to the valid part of Frank Bruni's work.

The most interesting part of Bruni's work focuses on how the press viewed the campaign process and influenced it. In many instances, stories submitted for publication had less to do with what was happening than what the press thought might make for an interesting new twist. Take, for example, the McCain victory in New Hampshire and the media attention it garnered: 'It was all partly true and partly imagined, motivated by our desire to create and live in a political universe more interesting that the one that really existed. Bush's style was what it was, and changed much less over time that the up-again, down-again, up-again media appraisals made it sound. McCain's prospects were what they were, and the head of steam he was building in New Hampshire did not change the dynamics that made it pretty much impossible for him to wrest the Republican nomination from Bush.' Yet McCain was suddenly rushing to victory in all of the press reports. For Bruni to admit the hyperbole and manipulation is refreshing in a work from a New York Times reporter.

Bruni also speaks of the mob mentality that overtook the press corps. 'In the hyper-competitive atmosphere engendered by so many reporters covering the same story,' Bruni writes, 'there was a near-constant rush to be the first to notice when one candidate was slipping and the other rising, one reeling and the other gathering force. Everyone was looking for 'moments,' for turning points, for inklings of changed dynamic, and no one was sensitive enough to the danger of willing such changes into being rather than accurately noting their occurrence.'

As the campaign narrative ends, Bruni shifts focus to issues relevant today. However, he begins to incorporate much of the standard media line and falls into his the trap he just exposed. He asserts that after September 11, George W. Bush appeared a much more serious and concerned man, more focused and resolute. To supporters of Bush, the aspects of his character that became clarified by 9/11 were there all along, while to his detractors, he is still largely viewed as essentially incompetent. What is perhaps more possible is that Bruni just doesn't get some of the most basic parts of Bush. Bruni admits to not understanding the importance of faith in Bush's life before September 11, although Bush made constant mention of it throughout the campaign. Mostly, the sections on September 11 seem hastily sketched, as if written for a publisher's deadline.

In many ways, the book seems like an entertaining but hasty project. It offers a few glimpses into the life of President Bush on the campaign trail and a few insights about his character, but refrains from serious evaluation. It does not carry the weight of a thoughtful and considered analysis of the man. Then again, the Bush story is far from over.

Ambing into a Book: Ambling into History

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