Author(s): Royce Flippin

Current Affairs

This is a compendium of the very best from today's most incisive journalists and commentators, from one of the most exciting political years in history. Like the previous seven editions of this highly-regarded anthology, "The Best American Political Writing 2009" draws on a wide variety of publications and political viewpoints to present the year's most insightful and entertaining articles on the current political scene. Possible selections in this year's edition include Matt Taibbi's dismemberment of Sarah Palin in "Mad Dog Palin", Tim Dickinson's deadly critique of McCain in "Make-Believe Maverick", Christopher Hitchen's self-experiment in which he was water-boarded by a handful of ex-Green Berets, Ryan Lizza's "Battle Plans", analyzing Obama's victory, David Grann's "The Fall", on how McCain compromised his principles in a bid for the White House, and David Remnick's "The Joshua Generation", an extended meditation on the role of race in the 2008 presidential election, and U.S. politics in general.