Love Jeb Bush or hate him, Dáte writes, but "if you want to see
\t\t what he would do with the nation, take a good look at what he did here in
\t\t Florida." Though the Palm Beach Post
\t\t reporter admits he has a bit of an axe to grind after covering the younger Bush
\t\t for eight years, he says it's on principle alone, as a critic of Jeb's
\t\t autocratic ruling style, not his policies. As Dáte portrays it, Jeb Bush
\t\t for president is less a question of "if" than "when." Yet the book is worth
\t\t close attention regardless of what Jeb decides. Bush's personal story—his
\t\t youth; his business relationships in Miami before taking office (which weren't
\t\t always savory); his years spent running a highly secretive administration,
\t\t obsessed with tax cuts and school vouchers—is a masterful lesson in political
\t\t ambition. Most compelling is Dáte's examination of the constantly
\t\t evolving history of the hypercompetitive, hyperpowerful Bush family dynasty;
\t\t how the family has amassed, wielded and abused political power and entitlement;
\t\t and how it has evolved after that power and entitlement have been transferred
\t\t from one generation of leaders to the next. B&w photos.
\t\t (Feb. 15)
