Pre-Owned Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American President (Hardcover) 0312242689 9780312242688

George W. Bush's phenomenal ascension to the front ranks of the Y2K presidential race has left many of us, while attracted by his obvious charm, with no clear idea of what he's done in the past, or what he hopes to do in the future. Through exhaustive research and probing interviews, award-winning biographer and journalist James Hatfield succeeds in providing us with an invaluable portrait of this largely unknown man who, more than any other, appears to have the key to the Oval Office already safely tucked away in his pocket. The book delves into:
-- Why Bush's parents pressured him to break off his engagement to his first fiancee
-- How he avoided the draft at the height of Vietnam and remained stateside in the National Guard
-- Investigation by the SEC of possible insider trading for which Bush was never charged, after Bush sold almost a million dollars' worth of oil company stock a week before his firm posted a $23 million loss

Fortunate Son is a balanced, engrossing portrait of a man at the threshold of history. Contributor: James Howard Hatfield