December 24, 2003

BY RICHARD ROEPER SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

You know that guy at work who sees you reading the newspaper on your lunch break and tells you he hasn't read a paper or watched the news on TV in 20 years?

Well, that guy is just like the president of the United States.

Last week George Bush boasted to ABC's Diane Sawyer that he never reads the paper or watches news programs or news magazine shows. (It's a wonder he recognized the woman interviewing him.) Laura Bush told Sawyer that she reads the papers for hubby and tells him what's going on. How cute!

"I get my news from people who don't editorialize," said Bush, who added that he was "lucky" because "all kinds of people in my administration ... give me the actual news, and it makes it easier to digest ... the facts."

Yes, because when you're the most powerful individual in the world, it's best to consume your facts in bite-sized nuggets. We don't want our president getting all confused by those tricky, unfiltered opinions, do we?

Bush also said he works out six days a week because he likes to "be physically active every day. Not just once a week or a couple of times a week and say, gosh, I've ... met the goal. It's every day."

As Playboy editor James Kaminsky said in USA Today, "It's appalling to think that the man who runs the country somehow finds time for a long gym workout each day but can't muster up the intellectual curiosity to peruse the newspaper."

Workout addicts often have that amusingly single-minded approach to life. Ask if they've read anything good lately and they'll say, "I wish I had the time to read, but I haven't picked up a newspaper or a book since college!"

Ah, who cares. The important thing is, you've got great definition in those upper arms!

Feed your mind

How about a balanced diet? Work out three days a week, and use the "extra" time to read. Feed your mind and your body. It makes life much more interesting.

To be fair, it should be noted that President Bush has been known to take a book or two to Camp David or his Texas ranch. They're great for holding doors open AND doing arm curls!

Kidding. As the saying goes, Bush has read nearly as many books as Al Gore has written. You might recall that in the summer of 2002, the White House let it be known the president was reading Supreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen and Leadership in Wartime by Eliot A. Cohen, the conservative hardliner on Iraq. Hmm, little bit of an indication there of where Bush was heading.

I have Cohen's book, but I'll admit that I've only skimmed it. For a year and a half I've been telling myself that I really should read the thing -- but then something else jumps out from the stacks near my desk and my bed.

Much of what I've been reading lately is for work purposes; other books are just pure pop fun.

He's making a list ...

It's Christmas Eve. If you need to buy a last-minute present or or two, here's what I've read lately:

Telling Lies and Getting Paid by Michael Konik. More colorful stories about gambling from the author of Man With the $100,000 Breasts. Konik examines the offshore gambling industry; profiles Chicago's Sister Jean Kerry, the handicapping nun on WGN radio, and dissects common mistakes made by contestants on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire."

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. Another one of those buzz novels where the cute-friendly-smart assistant is abused by the powerful-wealthy-harridan boss. Dopey but entertaining.

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken. Forget about politics for a moment and consider the resumes of Franken and Ann Coulter. Franken's resume includes writing for "Saturday Night Live" when it was funny; Coulter is a lawyer. Who's more likely to pen a witty book?

Tales from the Left Coast by James Hirsen. Great fun at the expense of anti-war celebrities -- who often deserve to be skewered for their pompous simplicity, regardless of their political bent.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. A landmark Chicago book. Working with a novelist's touch, Larson recounts parallel and equally compelling tales about Daniel Burnham and the 1893 World's Fair -- and the serial killer H.H. Holmes.

Somebody Told Me: The Newspaper Stories of Rick Bragg. The Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter left the New York Times earlier this year in a semi-scandal, but this paperback reminds us that Bragg is a top reporter with a graceful, clean writing style.

The Punch by John Feinstein. A detailed account of two lives connected by one of the most gruesome moments in sports history: the 1977 incident in which Kermit Washington hit Rudy Tomjanovich with a punch that nearly killed Tomjanovich.

The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem. The best novel I've read since The Lovely Bones.

Here's hoping one of these titles matches up with someone you know -- someone who likes to read.

Unlike our fearless leader.