The Bush Dyslexicon
by Mark Crispin Miller
W. W. Norton
304 pages, $24.95.

Each time we hear President George W. Bush open his mouth, we should hear the sound of rushing air, argues media critic Mark Crispin Miller in his new book, The Bush Dyslexicon. A 76-page essay tacked onto 180 pages of verité quotes and transcripts, organized by categories ("Kosovo," "Bob Jones University"), it's a compendium of Bush's best-loved (and most feared) linguistic manglings and, more importantly, an attempt to make sense of what they mean. Fervent W. bashers will buy Miller's line. But Miller actually knows very little about language, and the damage he does with it makes one wonder if the partisan advantage has actually been served.

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