Veteran Florida journalist and novelist Date (Final Orbit
) details both why Graham, a two-term governor and three-term senator, has been such a popular politician in the Sunshine State—and why he has not fulfilled expectations for higher office. While Date emphasizes Graham's reserved, deliberate nature, what also comes through is the senator's ability to succeed using unconventional methods: e.g., while running for governor in 1977, he devised the idea of "workdays," when he would spend a day doing an ordinary job, a campaign strategy that, Date explains, Graham took seriously—and one that he has continued while serving as senator. He's also known for singing at campaign rallies. Date is generally positive about Graham's career, emphasizing his environmental record as governor and his important role as head of the Senate Intelligence Committee after September 11. But Date casts a critical glance at Graham's support for the death penalty and his stance against returning Elián Gonzalez back to Cuba—both positions that Date surmises might have been taken less out of conviction than with an eye toward Florida voters. Date also devotes a chapter to Graham's notebooks—in which the senator dutifully records his every move. It's an unexplained quirk that the media has jumped on whenever Graham has been considered for national office. Graham was the first Democratic candidate to drop out of the 2004 presidential race. Tarcher is hoping for a vice-presidential slot for Graham; otherwise it's hard to see a national market for this well-done bio. (Apr.)
