By design, there are no stunning revelations to be gleaned from Follow the Money: How George W. Bush and the Texas Republicans Hog-Tied America. Texas journalist John Anderson does not mine for new scandals but instead reconstructs, strand by strand, the web of power-mongering and money that snared majority leader Tom DeLay and lobbyist Jack Abramoff in 2006 and ultimately cost the Republicans their congressional majorities in the midterm elections. Hard-core political junkies will nod knowingly at the strong-arm tactics employed by DeLay and the Bush White House (a senior Republican congressman recalled one voting session as “the ugliest night I have seen in twenty-two years in politics”); political naifs may be moved to tears over the bald-faced cynicism and corruption displayed by their elected officials. Follow the Money is a timely primer on the harsh realities of the government machine and its potential for abuse. Scribner, $26
