From The Nation, a review of L'Iran : Naissance d'une république islamique by Yann Richard; Iran: A People Interrupted by Hamid Dabashi; Britain and the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1906-1911 by Mansour Bonakdarian; Conversations in Tehran by Jean-Daniel Lafond and Fred A. Reed; and Reading 'Legitimation Crisis' in Tehran: Iran and the Future of Liberalism by Danny Postel; and a review of Hollow Land: Israel's Architecture of Occupation by Eyal Weizman. Our second biggest mistake in the Middle East: A review of Hamas: Unwritten Chapters by Azzam Tamimi; Where Now for Palestine: The Demise of the Two-State Solution; and Failing Peace: Gaza and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict by Sara Roy. A review of Everyday Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam Among Palestinians in Lebanon by Bernard Rougier. Islam's authority deficit: Don't count on state-sponsored greybeards to silence all awkward voices.
From Radar, Baghdad Déjà Vu: A vintage military guide shows that America has been lost in Iraq since World War II. Its troubles in Iraq have much weakened it; but America is likely to remain the dominant superpower. Still No.1: Wounded, tetchy and less effective than it should be, America is still the power that counts.
From GQ, Dan Bartlett—the president's most trusted aide—has been a true believer ever since he signed onto George W. Bush's gubernatorial campaign back in 1993. So why's he leaving now? The first Bush mistake? Choosing Cheney over Danforth. If you think the Vice President's abuse of power is scary now, consider what might happen when he counts Electoral College votes in a divisive 2008 election. Mount Broder erupts: Washington's leading political columnist discovers that Dick Cheney does bad stuff. This is much more important than it sounds.
For progressives, Gore's the One in 2008: The 44th American presidency is his for the taking. And it's time for the left to get busy asking. A look at how fringe politician Ron Paul took over the Web. Michael Bloomberg doesn't actually have to run for President to tilt the race his way. The rise of the $2 billion presidency: A review of The Buying of the President 2008. Cleaning up a candidate’s act: How to get special interest money out of elections. How to lose your inner Redneck: To help folks transition into the new world of Northern elite dominance (which includes, generally, the left coast as well), The Politico has a few suggestions. Candidates are forced to present two different faces to two different audiences — the plugged and the unplugged, the hip and the un-hip. How to deal with a noxious but prominent commentator like Ann Coulter? Confront her bigoted remarks and outright falsehoods? Or ignore her in hopes of dimming her spotlight?
