George W. Bush

He was a poor student who somehow got into the finest schools. He was a National Guardsman who somehow missed a year of service. He was a failed businessman who somehow was made rich. He was a minority investor who somehow was made managing partner of the Texas Rangers. He was a defeated politician who somehow was made governor. You can hardly blame him for expecting to inherit the White House.

"Is Our Children Learning?" examines the public life and public record of George W. Bush and reveals him for who he is: a man who presents the thinnest, weakest, least impressive record in public life of any major party nominee this century; a man who at every critical juncture has been propelled upward by the forces of wealth, privilege, status, and special interests who use his family's name for their private gain.

A Texan, political analyst, strategist, and partisan, Paul Begala has written a devastating assessment of the Bush brand of politics.

Paul Begala, former counselor to President Clinton, is the co-host of MSNBC's Equal Time. He first gained national prominence as half of the political consulting team of Carville & Begala. He is also a research professor of government at Georgetown University. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas School of Law, Paul and his wife, Diane, have four sons, whom they'd like to raise during a Gore presidency.