In Ambling into History, Frank Bruni, the principal New York Times reporter assigned to cover George W. Bush's presidential campaign and first eight months in the White House, mines the countless hours during which he observed and interacted with Bush to present sides of the president that readers have never encountered. He looks to small moments for big truths, going behind the scenes and offering fresh insights into Bush's often chronicled weaknesses, sometimes overlooked strengths, and his journey -- alternately earnest and reluctant -- from an innate levity to a newfound gravity. Bruni also takes readers on his own trip through the strange maze of presidential politics, wryly chronicling life in the insular "bubble" of political reporting and its frequently dispiriting effect on the coverage that politicians get. It is a candid, eloquent, and illuminating adventure that shows why Newsweek called Bruni "probably the most influential" reporter on the Bush beat.