Towel Snapping the Press: Bush's Journey from Locker-Room Antics to Message Control [Paperback]

How did George W. Bush change from being a 'regular person' in front of reporters to a master of information control? Or was there a change after all? Towel Snapping the Press follows Bush's lifelong association with the press, showing how he has developed and modified his tactics_from his days as part owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team to the present, with a look back at young George during his grandfather's 1950 Senate campaign. During Bush's early years in the public eye, the press did not scrutinize him; but as president, he became a subject of intense analysis and his 'relaxed' demeanor became a pitfall. Still, many reporters find the president's disposition charming, even while they are frustrated by his message discipline and rigid control of press access to administration sources. Towel Snapping the Press not only presents interesting stories about the president from reporters' points of view, but also raises important issues that any civically engaged citizen will want to explore.James E. Mueller is associate professor of journalism at the University of North Texas.

Towel Snapping the Pressis an informative book that's also fun to read. That's because Jim Mueller interviewed 29 journalists, recorded their often-amusing anecdotes, and then put present practice into historical perspective. What comes out is a dual portrait of the president and the press. Marvin Olasky, editorinchief, World News Group,From The Foreword

Mueller's account of the press-presidency relationship during the Bush years is an engaging and informative read. It benefits from the author's work both as a longtime practicing journalist and now as a scholar of political communications. He deftly combines interviews with contemporary journalists with a review and analysis of scholarly works. Some of Mueller's conclusions and suggestions for change will rankle journalists mired to the paradigm of 'objective' reporting. But that is a good thing because such al£Ó