Say this much for the Bush Administration: they’ve been great for the publishing industry. During 2006, it seemed like not a week went by without a new book released detailing the foreign and domestic policy travails of Worst President Ever and his minions. Many of these titles were by the usual leftist suspects, but many are increasingly by "establishment" military and intelligence professionals feeling betrayed and befuddled by an executive branch gone wild.
Who could keep up with all the great reads that came out in 2006? Not me – but I would like to. So far I’ve only bought and read about four of those listed in my poll below. Help me choose the best of the rest by picking your favorite political book of the year!
To keep things simple, I’m just starting out with the foreign policy books for now. Maybe a poll on domestic policy and general politics will come later, so everyone knows I’m not deliberately overlooking such gems as "The Great Risk Shift" by Jacob S. Hacker, "The Greatest Story Ever Sold" by Frank Rich, "Hostile Takeover" by David Sirota, "How Would A Patriot Act?" by Glenn Greenwald, and seemingly countless others.
I’ve counted about 30 (30!) books on current U.S. foreign policy from a left/liberal perspective that tempted readers in 2006 alone. The poll lists only 14 of them - the maximum possible for polls here - so forgive me if your preference doesn’t appear. Vote, and feel free to add a comment in favor of any I’ve neglected to name.