The Right Man is the first inside account of a historic year in the Bush White House, by the presidential speechwriter credited with the phrase axis of evil. David Frum helped make international headlines when President George W. Bush’s 2002 State of the Union address linked international terrorists to Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. But that was only one moment during a crucial time in American history, when a president, an administration, and a country were transformed.

Frum worked with President Bush in the Oval Office, traveled with him aboard Air Force One, and studied him closely at meetings and events. He describes how Bush thinks—what this conservative president believes about religion, race, the environment, Jews, Muslims, and America’s future. Frum takes us behind the scenes of one of the most secretive administrations in recent history, with revealing portraits of Karl Rove, Karen Hughes, Condoleezza Rice, and many others. Most significant, he tells the story of the transformation of George W. Bush: how a president whose administration began in uncertainty became one of the most decisive, successful, and popular leaders of our time.

Before becoming a White House speechwriter, David Frum was a highly regarded author of books and political commentary and an influential voice on the pages of The Wall Street Journal and The Weekly Standard. His commentary has been described by William F. Buckley as “the most refreshing ideological experience in a generation.” Now, in The Right Man, we see Frum as a front-row observer and participant. Not since Peggy Noonan’s account of her time in the Reagan White House has an insider portrayed a sitting president with such precision, verve, honest admiration, and insight.

The Right Man will command international attention for its thoughtful account of George W. Bush in the midst of his greatest challenge. It will be an essential reference for anyone seeking to understand who our president really is and how he is likely to lead us in the future.

"Delivers a mixed verdict on the Bush presidency, presenting a look that is at once sharply critical but also unstinting in its praise — a detailed and complex look at a presidency as it pivoted from an uncertain peacetime policy to lead a nation attacked by terrorists." Los Angeles Times

"...His sketchy defense of Bush's policy-making is similarly unconvincing; concerns about the energy industry's influence on the plan to drill in Alaska are dismissed as "goofy," and his recap of the Bush tax cut doesn't answer the main criticism that it is skewed toward the rich. Frum is an engaging writer, but this is very much a speechwriter's book-packed with graceful sound bites, but ultimately more spin than substance." Publishers Weekly

"...not just a great book?but a classic." Peggy Noonan

"...one of the leading political commentators of his generation." The Wall Street Journal

"... a voice and style so original it deserves to be called revolutionary." National Review

With honest admiration for George W. Bush, the presidential speech writer credited with the phrase "axis of evil" tells the story of a remarkable year in the life of an American president as he witnessed it. In "The Right Man, " Frum becomes a front-row observer of a new president in the midst of his greatest challenge.

David Frum helped make international headlines when President George W. Bush's 2002 State of the Union address linked international terrorists to Iran, Iraq, and North Korea in an "axis of evil." But that was only one moment during one of the most crucial times in American history, when a president, an administration, and a country were transformed.

David Frum's political commentary has been described by William F. Buckley as "the most refreshing ideological experience in a generation." Now, in The Right Man, Frum becomes a front-row observer and participant. With honest admiration for President Bush, Frum tells the story of a remarkable year in the life of an American president as he witnessed it. Writes Frum: "Bush is no lightweight. He is rather a very unfamiliar sort of heavyweight. But he did not become a heavyweight all at once. The Right Man is the story of how he grew - how his administration followed - and what the consequences of this evolution will be for the future of American politics."

Not since Peggy Noonan's portrait of Ronald Reagan has an insider portrayed a sitting president with such precision and insight. The Right Man will command international attention for its thoughtful portrait of George W. Bush in the midst of his greatest challenge.

He received a simultaneous B.A. and M.A. in history from Yale University in 1982. He was appointed visiting lecturer in history at Yale in 1986; in 1987 he earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a contributing editor to the National Review and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and he has written regularly for The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Weekly Standard, and Canada?s National Post. He is a contributor to National Public Radio?s Morning Edition. From January 2001 to February 2002, he was a special assistant to President Bush for economic speechwriting. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, journalist and novelist Danielle Crittenden Frum, and their three children.

Into the mess — The un-Clinton — Warning light — "Typical Republican" — Like a fox — Summer of our discontent — 9/11 — Ten days in September — Religion of peace — Death in the air — Politics returns — Axis of evil — Promised land — The right man.