Chapter 10 Summary and Analysis

Prescott Bush's political career brings him in contact with the leaders of the nation. At the same time, however, he has many problems in office. One of the first problems in his term is the creation of a slush fund to help finance his next campaign. This slush fund, similar to one created by then Vice President Richard Nixon, collect secret campaign contributions from supporters to be used to hire a famous publicist to promote Bush's campaign. Bush denies any wrong doing, though the slush fund is in violation of Connecticut's ethics rules about campaign contributions. A local newspaper runs a story about it to discredit Bush, but he manages to squash the story before it reaches national attention.

The second crisis of influence comes from Bush's son, George, who is beginning in the oil industry in Texas. There is a...