President George W. Bush unveils a new passion project — a 192-page book of oil paintings, "Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief's Tribute to America's Warriors," out Tuesday from Crown. Bush aide Freddy Ford emailed details to Bush family and friends last evening:
- Over the past year, Bush painted 98 wounded warriors he's gotten to know through the Bush Institute.
- The book includes 64 of them, plus a four-panel mural, with each painting accompanied by a story Bush wrote about the patriot.
- Forewords by Laura Bush and Gen. Peter Pace, former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
- Bush is donating profits to the Bush Institute, where the Military Service Initiative helps post-9/11 veterans, with a focus on employment and the invisible wounds of war.
See a gallery of the portraits here.
A slipcover edition signed by President Bush is available here.