Warts and All: 2the Men Who Would Be Bush

Unlike the latest election, the 1988 election season started with a free for all on both sides. A set of primaries that had up to 15 men going after each other with all the strength they could muster. This author takes a look at the 1988 election starting with the primaries and following straight through to the election. The overall focus of the book is the ultimate winner, George Bush so most of the reporting is about him. The author has also chosen to take a more light hearted and outside the process view approach to his book. The author is from the United Kingdom and thus is in possession of a deadly dry wit and just a bit of a superiority complex that comes out in very funny and sharp prose. It is also interesting that the author tries to insert a common theme through the book that the election somehow became the choice between Mr. Dull and Mr. Duller. He just did not like either candidate much although to be fair to Michael Dukakis, the author presented that George Bush was fair more distasteful the most any other choice. I also liked the grief the author gave to his fellow reporters. You could tell he took a particular joy in outing all the lame, go for the headline reporting that takes place. He shows the reader, in his offbeat way, just how a 30 minute speech with some detail can be boiled down to a comment on the issue, or more accurately, up roar of the day. About the only thing negative I can say about the book is that it is a one sided and light overview of the campaign. It leaves the reader wanting more of the details. The author took on so many different aspects of the campaign that he could not dig too deep into any one of them. Then again the book is a humor based book so how much detail can the author put in the book and maintain the tone. Overall the book is a humorous and quick read that will leave you with a smile on your face. If you enjoy political campaign books then this is a nice find from the past.