Want Political Truth? Buy a Book

Over the past several years, a funny thing happened to the press and congressional oversight—they've been preempted by the publishing industry. Not so long ago, it was the New York Times publishing The Pentagon Papers. It was the Washington Post dramatically uncovering the saga that would become Watergate. It was Congress quizzing John Dean about Watergate or Oliver North about Iran-Contra.

Since 2001, the press and Congress have acquiesced to the White House on the most important topic of this decade—the war in Iraq. Access to war zones was restricted; journalists were issued subpoenas by federal prosecutors; more than one major journalist was thought to have done the White House's bidding in justifying going to war. So it was not too surprising that the biggest kerfuffle to hit the Bush administration was orchestrated by Public Affairs and the publication of Scott McClellan's What Happened, an insider's look at how this government has operated for the past seven years. In fact, one of the theses of McClellan's book is that the press had become “complicit enablers” of the administration in its push toward war. Some journalists, like ABC's Charlie Gibson and NBC's Brian Williams, have insisted they were doing their jobs, but Katie Couric of CBS disagreed and said the media's collaboration in the run-up to war “was one of the most embarrassing chapters in American journalism.”

As we look back over the past several years, it isn't just McClellan's book that has been changing the journalistic landscape. There were books by Richard C. Clarke, Thomas Ricks, George Packer, Lawrence Wright, George Tenet, Douglas Feith, Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, Ron Suskind, and Bob Woodward that exposed, albeit well after the fact, the sleight-of-hand that the administration used to rally the public in its march to war.

“Publishing has certainly been especially effective and active in the post 9/11 period,” says McClellan's publisher, Peter Osnos of Public Affairs. “The space that books provide for telling stories in detail and with reflection is certainly one of the reasons. The news cycle is now so truncated and so often dominated by noise and wheeze rather than depth that reporters, like Ricks, Packer, Wright and others, turn to books, and we should all be grateful. Journalism is a great line of defense in our society, and if book publishing plays a role that is both salutary and sound in business terms, here's to that.”

“Following the 9/11 attacks,” adds Dan Simon, publisher of Seven Stories, “the government and the media were doing a terrible job holding themselves and each other accountable. It took a bit longer to do it this way, but in the end [the public outcry caused by these books] had the same kind of seismic effect as Watergate did, and the publishing industry is to a large degree responsible.”

“I think that certain editors and certain publishers are using their platforms to perform a watchdog or advocacy function while also keeping an eye on the bottom line,” says Leigh Haber, v-p/editorial director at Rodale/Modern Times and publisher of Machiavelli's Shadow: The Rise and Fall of Karl Rove by Paul Alexander (June) . “It is remarkable that books are continuing to have an enormous impact on exposing injustices and bad practices of all kinds, and in fact, even breaking that news, with help from Politico, et al.”

Simon, who publishes several left-of-center authors including the Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn, finds book publishing to be akin to the will of the people. “Book buying is not unlike people voting,” he says, “except without the lobbyists. It's basically direct democracy as you get to register your vote online or at your local bookstore.”

Below you'll find some of the political books being published between now and Election Day. In there, somewhere—it might be the next Bob Woodward tome or the biography of Karl Rove—there will be explosive allegations that will rock this presidential election. That, you can count on.

Collateral Damage: America's War Against Iraqi Civilians by Chris Hedges and Laila Al-Arian (Nation Books)

“A devastating exposé of a military occupation gone awry.”—Ruth Baldwin, editor

50,000-copy first printing; 17-city publicity tour; 20-city radio satellite tour

Just How Stupid Are We?: Facing the Truth About the American Voter by Rick Shenkman (Basic)

“Rick Shenkman has never been afraid to take on America's most cherished myths—and here he takes on perhaps the biggest myth of them all.”—Lara Heimert, editor

50,000-copy first printing; 5-city author tour; 20-city radio satellite tour

This Land Is Their Land: Reports from a Divided Nation by Barbara Ehrenreich (Metropolitan)

“An enraging and hilarious stocktaking of America in the aughts—the cruelest decade in memory.”—Sara Bershtel, associate publisher

100,000-copy first printing; 12-city author tour

In Justice: An Insider's Account of the War on Law and Truth in the Executive Branch by David Iglesias (Wiley)

The U.S. Attorney for New Mexico dumped by the Bush administration has his say. “Until you read this book, you won't truly understand how easily Rove and his gang could throw aside effective government or the future of the Republican Party—not to mention the life's work of a good and honorable man—for the slightest gain in political power.”—Eric Nelson, senior editor

75,000-copy first printing; major author promotion

The Pornography of Power by Robert Scheer (Twelve)

“This is the book for anyone who is questioning the Pentagon's policies and the unchallenged rise in defense spending, from a journalist who has been following the military-industrial complex for 40 years.”—Jonathan Karp, publisher

30,000-copy first printing; publicity/advertising

Machiavelli's Shadow: The Rise and Fall of Karl Rove by Paul Alexander (Rodale/Modern Times)

A critical biography of Bush's Brain

Major media.

Dark Genius: The Influential Career of Legendary Political Operative and Fox News Founder Roger Ailes by Kerwin Swint (Union Square)

30,000-first printing; morning drive radio tour