I Wish He Didn't Have Time to Read

I try to read two or three daily newspapers per day, and, after working all day, I really don't have a lot of time to read books or novels, because of the time commitment involved. (Though it doesn't stop me from trying, and I'm in the middle of two books now.) I always think about this when the White House reveals, every now and then, "What George Bush is reading."

Last year, it was reported that Bush was a big fan of I Am Charlotte Simmons, Tom Wolfe's latest book about college campus sexual romps. (Though the White House never officially let it be known that this was on his reading list, Bush was said to be recommending it to all his friends.) The love is mutual, because Mr. White Suit is a Bushie and voted for him twice.

So, what's on the "official" Bush reading list during his August vacation? The New York Times tells us.

Two books on Lincoln and one on polio. Oh, and a Camus novel. It was “The Stranger” that caught everyone’s attention when the White House told of the books that President Bush was taking to Texas on his ranch vacation. Last year, he toted books about a czar, a plague and salt — no French philosophers.

This business of the most powerful man in the world announcing his current reading list, presumably to demonstrate a restless intellect (although there’s no pop quiz to see whether he’s done the reading), is comparatively new. When Coolidge and Eisenhower kicked back on fishing and golf holidays, they didn’t pack many books. ...

I don't know about you, but if I were president today, and with so much at stake in the world, I don't think I'd be reading about Lincoln. I think I'd prefer to read about ... current events, the Muslim religion and Mideast history (with a particular focus on Iran). It's a little absurd to read Camus at night when things in your day job aren't going so well.

I'd prefer that he read his presidential daily briefings very, very closely.