From Tikkun, a special issue on Memos to Obama; and it's not going to be ok: Chris Hedges, in discussion with political theorist Sheldon Wolin, presents a pessimistic picture of what is likely to happen in the period ahead as the economic crisis opens up the possibility of fascist responses (and review of Wolin's Democracy Incorporated Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism). From the top rope: WWE puts a kink into dominant political theories — Immanuel Kant never experienced a Kozlov headbutt. From Standpoint, George Weigel on the Pope versus the Vatican; a look at why Catholicism is compatible with capitalism, not the overmighty state; an article on why Adam Smith still matters; and Tim Congdon on the Adam Smith antidote. Life Support: Why Democrats aren't rushing to overturn Bush's abortion restrictions. From New Scientist, an essay on how to survive the coming century; an article on the selfless gene: Rethinking Dawkins's doctrine; and east meets west: How the brain unites us all. The Replacement: Jeffrey Toobin on the rise of Roland Burris. Needed, a fiscal framework not a stimulus: Rather than arguing about the value of taxes or spending, economic planners need to take a systematic long view. Kevin Canfield reviews Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower. A review of Benjamin Disraeli by Adam Kirsch.
