"You can't worry about being vindicated, because the truth of the matter is, when you do big things, it's going to take a while for history to really understand." — President Bush, in an exclusive interview with Fred Barnes for Rebel-in-Chief

With Rebel-in-Chief, veteran political reporter Fred Barnes provides the defining book on George W. Bush's presidency, giving an insider's view of how Bush's unique presidential style and bold reforms are dramatically remaking the country — and, indeed, the world. In the process, Barnes shows, the president is shaking up Washington and reshaping the conservative movement.

Barnes has gained extraordinary access to the Bush administration for Rebel-in-Chief, conducting rare one-on-one interviews with President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and many other close presidential advisers. That access, along with Barnes's extensive independent reporting and interviewing, produces an eye-opening look at this highly consequential — and controversial — presidency.

Rebel-in-Chief reveals:

? How Bush acts as an "insurgent force" in the nation's capital — "a different kind of president" who is turning the Washington establishment on its ear.

? How Bush is redefining conservatism for a new era — and creating a new Republican majority.

? The inside story of how Bush has revolutionized American foreign policy — and how the president's crusade for democracy would have been anathema to Bush himself only five years ago.

? When and why Bush decided to go into Iraq, even knowing that he was putting his political future at risk.

? How a White House aide you've probably never heard of is shaping the Bush vision.

? The surprising and important ways Bush's faith affects critical presidential decisions.

? How Bush has outmaneuvered his political opponents and surprised members of the press who have dismissed him as an intellectual bantamweight.

? How Bush routinely defies conventional wisdom because of his contempt for elite opinion and halfway reforms ("small-ball," he calls them) — and why he usually wins.

George W. Bush billed himself as a "different kind of Republican." He has proved to be a different kind of president, too. And Fred Barnes's riveting behind-the-scenes account helps us understand how much this "Rebel-in-Chief" is reshaping the world around us.

"The Weekly Standard executive editor and Fox News personality preaches to the Crawford choir in this analysis-cum-tribute to the Bush presidency. Readers who keep pace with current events will find little new in Barnes's take on the president's policies, but what's instructive are the surprising glimpses into the personality of a man Barnes celebrates as an 'insurgent leader' who's 'an alien in the realm of the governing class' that despises all things Washington and revels in his status as 'a revolutionary with a revolutionary vision.' Indeed, the capital is a locale he regards as a 'job site' at best and a 'detention center' at worst where the increasingly Republican-populated Washington establishment is 'reactionary' (and 'Bush ignores them'), and the national press corps 'reminded Bush of the liberal students he detested in his years at Yale.' His disdain for newspaper-reading is well-known, but Barnes goes to great lengths to detail the president's copious book-reading habit (five to every one that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reads), from Michael Crichton's State of Fear and Margaret MacMillian's Paris 1919 to Natan Sharansky's The Case for Democracy and David McCullough's 1776. However, Barnes's cheerleading proves wearying after a few chapters: no matter what the topic, the president is right and everyone else is wrong. Bush, like Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt, has been 'prematurely judged to fall short of presidential specifications,' leaving Barnes to conclude 'Bush is a president of consequence.' Ardent partisans will enjoy this polemical valentine, which should be read with care by readers seeking fresh insights into the mind of the 43rd president." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Here's a book the Bush administration will be happy about....Nothing is said about CIA leaks or the standing of the U.S. in the world or Bush's sinking popularity polls....Barnes is preaching to the choir here — and the choir will love it." Booklist

"The case [Barnes] makes for Bush's boldness is indisputable, especially in foreign affairs. But the thinness of Bush's counsel in his anti-Washington bubble also stands out." The Washington Post

"Barnes has painted with such rosy colors that history — as well as any contemporary reader not already sold on Bush — is likely to find this book useful mostly as a record of the fervor this polarizing president stirred in his most ardent supporters." Los Angeles Times

"[A] compact and readable though surely debatable book. Debatable because the Bush presidency is still only five-eighths done and because Mr. Barnes...sometimes strains too hard to fit every action by Mr. Bush into his template." Wall Street Journal

"A book so well worth reading that wise historians will long consult it for clues about what made Bush tick." National Review

"Does an excellent job analyzing the private as well as public [Bush]....Filled with other interesting revelations....Entertaining, lucid, and thought-provoking." American Spectator

"I know Fred Barnes and I thought I knew what he knows about President Bush. Boy, was I wrong. This book is a revelation. I couldn't stop reading it." Brit Hume, host, Fox News Channel's "Special Report with Brit Hume"

Fred Barnes is executive editor of The Weekly Standard and cohost of The Beltway Boys on the Fox News Channel. Previously he served as White House correspondent for The New Republic, covered the Supreme Court and the White House for the Washington Star, and was the national political correspondent for the Baltimore Sun. He lives in northern Virginia with his wife, Barbara.