Book Review: And the Good News Is…

Dana Perino offers an intriguing and entertaining peek into the life of a White House spokesman and into the persona of President George W. Bush in her first book, And the Good News Is….

The book captures well some of the drama and entertaining moments that Perino witnessed in her time as press secretary to Bush 43.  Perino generally uses these examples not to cast light on herself, but as a window into how other people responded and shared advice with her – including President Bush.

For example, recall the shoe-throwing incident when President Bush traveled to Iraq in 2008 and, amid a press conference, an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at the President. We all saw the video on our various newscasts, but as a former press officer I wondered what else was happening in the room as that event unfolded. Perino recounts it well, including how she was injured in that incident as the Secret Service responded – and how a US Marine and others in the room and on Air Force One came to her assistance.

Perino also offers advice on managing conflict and on making life decisions, documenting key decision points in her life and the insecurities that dogged her as she wrestled with these. This advice on managing conflict is particularly insightful coming from a presidential press secretary – one who dealt with conflict and the ugliest of politics while standing in front of a room full of reporters and cameras. She documents President Bush’s advice and counsel to her around managing some of these difficult issues, and the importance of keeping a broader perspective, even as she was ready and willing to throw a rhetorical shoe back at political opponents at times.

On a lighter note, Perino gives us a peek behind the cameras on the set of The Five, the Fox TV show Perino co-hosts. As she does on the show, she pokes fun at her colleagues there, mostly Bob Beckel, the lovable liberal co-host. But she also spends a few pages discussing each of her colleagues and offering additional background that many viewers of the show may not know and will find interesting.

The most insightful sections of the book for me are those where Perino recalls the guidance she received from the President, and the even keel on which he sailed even in the roughest of political times.

The book reinforced my core beliefs about the values and compassion of President Bush, even in the  midst of the harshest political attacks seen in our lifetimes. If you personally watched President Bush and his team working through very difficult issues for our country, and always wondered why they didn’t fight back more against the partisan attacks from Harry Reid, Barack Obama, and others, you’ll find some answers here – and some inspiration.

Perino also offers career advice to young professionals climbing the employment ladder.  As someone who has moved regularly in my career, and who has chosen a number of out-of-the-way job opportunities for the adventure of it (Bolivia, Azerbaijan, Vietnam), I found myself nodding in agreement with much of her counsel. (Another part of me was amazed that such advice needs to be given, but bless her heart for seeing the need and working to meet it.)  Perino advises young professionals to be open to such opportunities, even if they mean relocating from a major city to a more rural area.

My one criticism of the book is the inordinate amount of time Perino spends tracing her family history.  Coming from Wyoming, she has some very colorful family figures who have influenced her life, but the time spent on this in the book was just daunting. A close family member of mine started on the book, but gave up after getting bogged down in the family history chapters. I persevered and wasn’t disappointed once I got past the history section.

Overall, I highly recommend the book and hope to see more from Perino on life in the Bush White House.

(Tom Mueller is a crisis management professional, former press officer and writer who has worked and trained staff in more than 25 countries.)