Best American Political Writing 2008

by Royce Flippin (Editor)

Overview

The Best American Political Writing 2008 draws from a variety of publications and political viewpoints to present the year's most insightful, entertaining, and thought-provoking pieces on the current political scene. This year's edition will include full coverage of the presidential candidates and conventions, and will offer incisive reporting on America's most pressing political concerns—from the threat of a looming economic recession, to the continued struggles in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Selections will include Jane Mayer's investigation of the various highly coercive interrogation techniques routinely employed by the CIA and the Pentagon, Jonathan Chait's report on how radical economic extremists have hijacked national policy, Andrew Sullivan's article on “Why Barack Obama Matters,” George Packer's analysis of the contrasting appeals of Obama and Hillary Clinton, Parag Khanna on America's struggle to retain its status as the world's great superpower, and John Judis's essay on how politicians wield power by tapping into our deepest anxieties, from such publications as The New Yorker, The New Republic, the Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, and Vanity Fair.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786726592
Publisher:	PublicAffairs
Publication date:	10/20/2008
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Royce Flippin is the series editor of The Best American Political Writing. A former senior editor at American Health magazine, he has written for various publications, including the New York Times, Men's Journal, Self, and Parents magazine. This is his seventh year as the editor of the series.

Todd Purdum is national editor of Vanity Fair.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations xi Acknowledgments xiii Introduction Todd S. Purdum xv Preface Royce Flippin xix The Race Goodbye to All That: Why Obama Matters Andrew Sullivan 3 One of Us, Part 2: John McCain's Last War Chris Jones 18 One of Us, Part 3: Two Nights... Chris Jones 32 The Feminist Reawakening: Hillary Clinton and the Fourth Wave Amanda Fortini 41 The Choice George Packer 50 The Machinery of Hope: Inside the Grass-Roots Field Organization of Barack Obama Tim Dickinson 66 The Iron Lady: The Clinton Campaign Returns from the Dead, Again Ryan Lizza 76 Is John McCain Bob Dole? John Heilemann 85 All Aboard the McCain Express Rick Perlstein 100 Who We Are Now How McCain and Obama Beat the Odds: Delegate Math and the Emotional Logic of the Political Brain Drew Westen 111 The Politics of Personality Destruction Jennifer Senior 123 Political Civility David Mamet 137
16 Ways of Looking at a Female Voter Linda Hirshman 143 The Year of Governing Dangerously David Margolick 155 Arnold Schwarzenegger Is President of 12% of Us Tom Junod 176 Can You Count on Voting Machines? Clive Thompson 188 So Long, Buckaroo Inside Bush's Bunker Todd S. Purdum 211 Feast of the Wingnuts: How Economic Crackpots Devoured American Politics Jonathan Chait 230 The Economic Consequences of Mr. Bush Joseph E. Stiglitz 243 The Rove Presidency Joshua Green 253 What We Talk About When We Talk About War Inside the Surge Jon Lee Anderson 277 Anatomy of the Surge Peter D. Feaver 299 The History Boys David Halberstam 309 After Musharraf Joshua Hammer 319 The Black Sites: A Rare Look Inside the C.I.A.'s Secret Interrogation Program Jane Mayer 336 Euphemism and American Violence DavidBromwich 357 Permissions 369 Contributors 373