Today - Election Day - George and Laura Bush will celebrate 25 years of marriage at their ranch near Waco, Texas.

What's the ideal gift for the First Couple on this silver anniversary? A Republican-controlled Congress may top the list. But on a smaller scale, consider George and Laura: Portrait of an American Marriage, by Christopher Andersen (William Morrow, $25.95).

Hot off the press, the book is Andersen's unauthorized tribute to the Bushes' 25 years together. A veteran celebrity-trasher, Andersen is responsible for best sellers including Bill & Hillary, Jack and Jackie and Diana's Boys, in which he courageously revealed that 19-year-old Prince William drinks, smokes and dates lots of girls (gasp!).

In many ways, George and Laura is vintage Andersen: brimming with anonymous sources (although he did interview such people as her mother) and lingering on salacious details. Highlights include a dramatic account of Dubya's last drinking binge, the details of Laura's tragic teen-age car accident and the misadventures of the couple's party-hard twin daughters, one of whom is nicknamed "Gin."

But compared to Andersen's earlier works, George and Laura is a kinder, gentler exploitation. Has he gotten nicer? More likely, he just didn't have much to work with. Oh, the Bushes have skeletons in their closets, but according to Anderson's account, they're bland compared to the matrimonial maelstroms of Bill and Hillary, Jack and Jackie, Richard and Pat or Lady Bird and Lyndon.

Yep, George and Laura have been happily married for 25 years. They've had some storms but have always managed to weather them. Dubya hasn't had a drink since 1985 and has never gotten friendly with his interns. His closest brush with dalliance comes in Chapter 5 during his father's presidential campaign, when he tells off a woman who's trying to seduce him. "I'm a married man, for God's sake," he shouts, sending her off "shaken and fighting back tears."

Most of what Andersen dishes are the not-so scintillating details of an "American" marriage: sit-down dinners, pet names (it's "Bushie"), long walks on the ranch with Barney and Spot and reading newspapers in bed with mugs of coffee. (Snooze!)

They're the kind of details that the president and first lady - both avid readers - are sure to delight in on the occasion of their anniversary. Although George W. usually favors nonfiction doorstops like Theodore Rex, he'll find plenty to chew on in this 291-page book. He and Laura do cut a dashing couple on the cover - he in a tux, she in that form-fitting red gown she wore to the 2001 Inaugural Ball.

And Laura, a former librarian who loves novels, is sure to find Andersen's literary techniques closer to fiction than biography. Blessed with the talent of omniscience, he can see into the First Couple's heads - and into their silent prayers. On the morning of Sept. 12, 2001, he writes: "Laura stirred awake ... wondering if it had really happened. Maybe, she devoutly prayed, it was just a terrible dream ... but as she lifted herself up and looked at the newspapers George had spread out across the bed, the inescapable reality hit her full force."

For the record, the White House said late last week that the Bushes have not yet seen a copy of Andersen's book and could not offer any comment. The Bushes have, however, spoken publicly about their marriage in the past. The president often describes his wife as "a rock" and says marrying her was the best decision he's ever made. About her husband, Laura Bush recently told Newsweek, "He acts like I steady him, but the fact is, he steadies me."

George and Laura Bush do have something to celebrate in addition to 25 years together. Theirs has been crowned the "American marriage." As Andersen writes: "It hardly seems worth asking if George and Laura love each other. They always have, and no one could ever suggest otherwise."

So, however they're celebrating - curled up in bed with matching copies of Andersen, eating tamales (Laura's favorite) or having a drag (they're both former chain smokers) - the First Couple deserve best wishes for 25 years.