Best American Political Writing 2008

Book excerpt: 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.