There may be a few (oh, about 75) books out that are critical of President Bush, but Ron Kessler certainly didn't write any. In fact, the author of "A Matter of Character: Inside the White House of George W. Bush" has become quite the presidential admirer. "It is very lonely being a Bush fan," said Kessler, only half kidding at Thursday's book party in his honor.
The investigative reporter, who voted for Al Gore in 2000, said he became intrigued by the president's role as "CEO on the war on terror." The press is essentially shut out, said Kessler, and penetrating the White House's inner circle was almost mission impossible -- "They're all very secretive, but once you get to know them, you couldn't meet better people."
The sentiment is apparently mutual. More than 100 Bush fans gathered at the Northwest Washington home of former CIA and FBI director William Webster and wife Lynda to celebrate the book's publication just three weeks before the GOP convention. Guests included Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, NBC's Andrea Mitchell, Nancy Reagan's former press secretary Sheila Tate, presidential pals Anne and Clay Johnson, former senator Paul Laxalt and wife Carol, party hosts Terry and Liz Johnson and Fred and Maria Fielding, and Kessler's wife, Pam, whom he affectionately referred to as "my Karl Rove."
