The President's Reading List

As I pointed out earlier, President Bush actually reads, despite his opponents wisecracks. Apparently it is a rather interesting list. I might have to pick up that book on Alexander II, he has always been my favorite tsar.

According to the White House, one of three books Bush chose to read on his five-week vacation is "Salt: A World History" by Mark Kurlansky, who chronicled the rise and fall of what once was considered the world's most strategic commodity.

The other two books he reportedly brought to Crawford are "Alexander II: The Last Great Tsar" by Edvard Radzinsky and "The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History" by John M. Barry.