Political Parties and Constitutional Government: Remaking American Democracy Book

Glen Greenwald is a lawyer, so he's no stranger to research or putting forth a reasoned case based on a lot of diverse information.

This book is a well researched and pointed indictment of the hypocrisy endemic to the nation's political right.

I'd probably recommend it to right wingers, but reason and evidence mail fail to convince most of them that they are backing the wrong horse. Even in socially conservative terms, it appears that the left has a higher level of conformance to national norms than the emotionally constipated right wing. Most of our gays, for instance, are not only 'out', they're honest. The Larry Craigs, Mark Foleys, and David Vitters out there are not, but seem determined to force feed the morality they lack down the throats of the rest of the country.

This hypocrisy extends to the image making and press manipulation that the right has successfully performed for nearly every major American political debate, including constutional rights, war and war making, torture, fiscal policy, 'conventional' marriage, etc. and it has not only made a mockery of our political process, it has brought the country to its collective knees, morally.

While the approach in this book is ideal for someone with a tolerance for extensive support of an argument, often, Greenwald seems to belabor his points, driving in 100 nails when 10 would do.

Stylistically, in that regard it leaves something to be desired, but for pure info and analysis, he has done a great pre-2008-election service. Dedicated writers of letters-to-the-editor should read this for points of inclusion. The word needs to get out.

John McCain is W, Term 3. At this point, it is essential to make sure that his mythology is highlighted and neutralized and that we hold the press to high standards this time around. We shouldn't care if McCain is a great guy to have a beer with, but we should know how many centuries he thinks he'd like to keep us in Iraq.

Gift this book to anyone on the fence this fall. Refer to it often in written and public communications. Use it to inform yourself in the ways in which the press generates myth and participates in disinformation.

And while you are at it, hope against hope that it is just one of many arrows that will destroy the aspirations of the right to continue the destruction of our republic this fall.