THE STANDARD READER

...The ideological attack against Bush, however, is a different matter...

...And from it all, John Podhoretz builds his case that we are witnessing a great presidency: "George W. Bush has laid out the path this country must take if it is to be secure, and the first steps we've taken down this long road are worthy of celebration...

...Bush Country is a fun read, filled with telling political observations: "His presidential style is almost completely the reverse of Clinton's...

...But America has done some extraordinary and wonderful things these past three years...

...Bush Country has found its calling...

...ndeed, the president has positioned himself as "the master of low expectations"— with an unaif biguouspolitical ee^ult: "People who think he's a sucker are being played for suckers...

...When it comes to matters of policy, however, Bush has the instincts of a gambler...

...He's succeeding brilliantly at both...

...Martin's, 276 pp., $24.95), "that George Bush was put on this earth to do two things: First, to lead the United States into the third millennium, with all its terrifying challenges and wondrous opportunities...

...By contrast, George W. Bush has remarkable self-discipline in his personal life...

...A contributing editor to The Weekly Standard—and one of the magazine's founders eight years ago—Podhoretz defends the president against the bizarre charges far too often brought against him: that Bush is a "moron," a "puppet," a "fanatic," a "cowboy," etc...

...And second, to drive liberals insane...

...On the topic of Bush's religion, for instance, Bush Country explains, "You don't have to believe the same things Bush believes about the centrality of Christ in our lives to see what he saw in the September 11 attacks—the first shot in a geopolitical battle between the forces of good and those who thirst for the blood ofthe innocent...

...To the extent that the attack on Bush is purely partisan, all one can say is: that's life...

...Democrats want a Democrat in the White House, and that can only happen if the American people turn on George Bush...

...But whenever Clinton tried to be bold in matters of personal policy—such as the mammoth health-care plan designed by his wife, Hillary—the results were usually disastrous...

...We are vulnerable because we are a beacon of freedom that draws hundreds of millions to bask in liberty's light, even if only for a brief moment...

...The cautious, careful, even timid Clinton was the victorious Clinton...

...The Standard Reader Bush Country "One might con-V^Vclude, from his conduct over the past three years," John Podhoretz begins Bush Country: How Dubya Became a Great President While Driving Liberals Insane (St...

...The celebration should be sober, even somber, as befits the challenges of the present moment, the difficulties that lie ahead, and the grieving that still goes on for those lost in the war on terror...

...The combination of immediate political smarts and longer-term understanding studs Bush Country with moments of real insight into our current situation...

...Democrats see it as their job to make that happen, and while many of their attacks are unfair, they are justified by the warp-and-woof of American politics," Podhoretz explains...

...The beacon also provided the perfect guiding light for a team of suicide terrorists with a clever and unpredictable plan...

...To a man, his close aides describe him as the most disciplined person they've ever known...

...But Podhoretz is willing as well to shift away from politics and consider the broader, world-historical picture...

...Here is what Bush understood: We are vulnerable because we are free...

...On the topic of Bush's occasional mala-propisms,I'odhoretz insists, "lOush is the best presidential speaker since Franflin Delano Roosevelt...

...He closely followed public-opinion polls and tailored his policies to suit the public mood," Podhoretz writes...

...The forty-second president of the United States was daring in the way he pursued his personal hungers...