Rating: 
Summary: Great Look inside a Presidential Campaign
Review: Frank Bruni followed George W. Bush throughout his presidential campaign, and was able to see the candidate up close and personal for months on end. This experience gives him a number of insights into the President's character and personality and has allowed him to write a fascinating insider's view of the campaign.Bruni's assessment of the Bush Campaign's strategies and of how the candidate acted and reacted to his life on the campaign are excellent reading. Even more interesting is Bruni's candid assessment of how the press covers campaigns, and how the press tends to distort the campaign for the sake of keeping things interesting. He makes no excuses for this, and is refreshingly critical of a number of much of the press coverage. His assessment of Bush is equally even handed. He doesn't try to cover up Bush's flaws, but neither does he try to bludgeon the reader with personal attacks. The picture of Bush that emerges is one that would be familiar to most of us, a person with strengths and weaknesses, who works to overcome his weaknesses and take advantage of his strengths. The one area where the book fails, in my opinion, is when Bruni discusses September 11. Bruni attempts to use his knowledge of Bush from the campaign trail to assess Bush's actions following September 11, an assessment that seems remarkably premature. Bruni admits he hasn't seen Bush since his inauguration, yet he makes significant assumptions about Bush's behavior and the rationale for it based on his campaign experience. This detracts from the more interesting parts of the book, because he's replaced reporting and analysis with speculation. Still, it's a book well worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: A Decent First Look At President Bush
Review: Lets get this out front; I am a practicing conservative and make no effort to hide my perspective. Thus I was skeptical when reading Frank Bruni's "Ambling into History" and the titles apparent perpetuation of the image of President Bush as not quite ready for prime time. It is clear that his performance since 9/11 has answered that question in the eyes of the American people as the President has emerged as wartime leader of considerable stature and capabilities. Yet it appears that the media that Mr. Bruni represents cannot let go of the stereotype it created during the campaign of 2000. The book does a reasonable job of presenting President Bush's life up to and including his first year in office. Indeed, the author appears to make at least an effort to present a balanced account of the President's life and political development. Bruni's experience as a correspondent coverage the 2000 Presidential Campaign does in fact provide many interesting insights, but the book is light on critical analysis. However, that the author has trouble believing that George W. Bush is indeed capable of what he has demonstrated and continually shows surprise at his accomplishments is testament that old liberal habits are hard to break. In short, for a first effort at a biography of a sitting president this is a reasonable first look. But you may want to read Bernard Goldberg's "Bias" first and keep its message in mind as you read.
Rating: 
Summary: Bush unplugged
Review: Read this fun, meaty, fast-paced portrait of George W. at your own risk. Those who voted for Bush, who saw him as the kind of guy they'd like to have a beer with, will find themselves wincing -- again and again -- at his juvenile behavior and shocking lack of in-depth knowledge about almost everything save the flora and fauna on his beloved ranch. They will be forced to admit that they helped elect a lightweight class clown. Then again, those who enthusiastically voted against Bush, as I did, will come away with from this incredibly nuanced, insightful and entertaining biography feeling something akin to real respect for the man (did I write that?) -- for his flexibility, his deep love of family and country and perhaps most importantly, his new-found focus and commitment to ridding the world of terrorism. Frat boy or Zen master? You decide. Bruni's book is about as balanced and fair as journalism gets. And he writes with great wit and intelligence and a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor as he drags us with on the exhausting campaign trail -- where every journalist gains weight, outgrows his clothes, resumes smoking and drinks too much on little to no sleep. I went willingly. What a blast.
Rating:
Summary: Bruni (unintentionally) tells that the Pre is a good person!
Review: Bruni obviously doesn't live in the world most of us live in. He finds fault with parts of the President's character that are comforting to normal people - he loves his wife and family and home and prefers them to a vacation in an exotic location, would rather surround himself with people he knows and trusts instead of scoundrels, enjoys a good joke (shouldn't we all), and prefers small groups to huge audiences consisting mostly of press people trying to "create" a story.
The President likes PEOPLE. He cares about people. He tries to get along with people, even though the press try to make something negative out being caring. GWB notices Bruni's cold sockless feet, and offers him a pair of socks, OH NO! Good grief. Get a grip. He's a nice guy who cares about people!! And I think that is a good thing.
In trying to make readers think the President is a country bumpkin, he showed instead that he (Bruni) is a snob and GWB is a nice guy. And I personally think if we had more nice guys, the world would be a better place.
Read the book. See that Bush can rise above the garbage that the press tries to spew.
Rating: 
Summary: Ambling is nonsense
Review: I found Ambling so typical of the political reporting today. Mr. Bruni decries the pagentry and staged photo opps that candidates engage in, but does not acknowledge that the reason they do so many photo ooops, etc., is that the media gives only superficial coverage to the candidates' views. He admits they set up fake confrontations between candidates in order to have "something" new and different to write about. Mr. Bruni is a terminal cynic. He exhibits some of the worst traits of journalists. They are judgemental and never satisfied. Don't bother reading this book. I had to opportunity to meet George W. Bush on the tarmac of a small airpost in northwest Iowa in September of l999. The description by Mr. Bruni of how he interacted with the crowds is misleading. We spent 45 minutes in his company. Yes, he signed autographs, but also talked about sustantively issues. He answered the concerns of farmers as well as the businessmen.
Rating: 
Summary: Explains the doofus behind the SMIRK!
Review: This president has the sensibilities of a fratboy at a kegger. The intellectual horsepower needed for the job of President will never be his. Reading this book makes one ponder how this stooge puppet of oil and gas cartels can truely do anything except stumble over his own ineptness.
Rating:
Summary: Getting to Know W
Review: If you want to know what President Bush (41 OR 43), Laura Bush, or Barbara Bush is really like, this is the book to read. John F. Kennedy once said that the underlying goal or hope in reading history and biography is to find out what the subject was (or is) really like. This book fullfills that goal better than just about any book I've read. I've read every book on George W. Bush published to date and this one does far and away the best job of giving you an insight into what he is really like. It also gives an eye-opening look into the life of the press during the 2000 Presidential campaign. The anecdotes that arise from Mr. Bruni's recounting of that period are entertaining and memorable. Reading this book was, as Laura Bush would say, "alot of fun." It reads quickly, and is tough to put down. For anyone who is interested in our current president, this is a must-read.
Rating:
Summary: Viewing George W. with a slightly jaundiced eye
Review: This portrait of Bush from the primaries to the presidency is a good read, not only for his intimate view of Bush as a political animal, but also for its insight on what it's like to be a reporter following him. (If this aspect appeals to you, have a look at another book, "The Boys on the Bus" by Timothy Crouse. It's a classic account of reporters following the 1972 presidential campaign trail.) Bruni's observations about Bush tend to be tart and somewhat cynical at times, which is why I gave it only four stars. Overall, though, it's excellent reporting, and will be an important part of the historical record of the Bush presidency.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Look at Who Dubya Really Is
Review: I have had full faith in President George W. Bush from the start. This book confirms his dedication to this nation to those who were more hesitant. President Bush is not only dedicated to catching those responsiable for the attacks, but also for protecting the nation in which he leads with dignity and grace.
Rating:
Summary: A Fair and Engaging Analysis of our President
Review: The author of this book, Frank Bruni, is indeed a reporter for the New York Times, and that fact alone might cause some potential readers to assume that this book will naturally present George W. Bush in a less than flattering light. Thankfully Mr. Bruni shies away from re-hashing the goofy Bush quotes and stereotypes that everyone already knows in favor of a more even-handed and intellectual analysis of Mr. Bush. This book is much more than a laundry list of silly Bush anecdotes that some who favor Bush might be expecting. Rather Mr. Bruni offers an intensive, quasi-psychoanalysis of Bush the man, candidate and President that is much more than a cliched indictment of Bush's presumed faults. Mr. Bruni evaluates Mr. Bush's perceived strengths (his self-discipline, willingness to delegate, and "plain-spokenness") and weaknesses (his verbal gaffes and limited intellectual curiousity) in light of the events that occurred during the 2000 presidential campaign and its aftermath as well as what has occurred in the world during Bush's first 15 months as President. Mr. Bruni's conclusions about Bush the man and Bush the president are often more flattering than one might expect. Aside from his musings about Mr. Bush and his presidency, Mr. Bruni also paints an engaging and often startling picture of the life and mindset of a professional journalist covering a presidential campaign. He often decries the insular "bubble" that journalists who cover a campaign 24 hours a day are subject to, which can often serve to inhibit a reporter's ability to discern what qualifies as an important moment in a campaign and what should and should not be written about. Often, Mr. Bruni fears, this type of coverage leads to a group of reporters' interpretation of events shaping reality, rather than the reporters simply reporting reality as is. Overall this book does a fine job of evaluating Mr. Bush, providing an insightful, fresh analysis of the man rather than a cliched, superficial one. Recommended for anyone interested in our 43rd president, presidential elections in general or the 2000 campaign specifically, or media coverage of politics.
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