This book features top commentators on the American political scene reporting on the biggest stories of the year.This anthology - the seventh in a highly regarded series - 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, including coverage of the 2008 elections, America's continuing struggles in Iraq and Afghanistan, and profiles of the presidential candidates.The selections include Jane Mayer's investigation of the various highly coercive interrogation techniques routinely employed by the CIA and the Pentagon, Jonathan Chait's report on how radical economic extremists have seized political power and hijacked national policy, Andrew Sullivan's article on Why Barack Obama matters, and Todd Purdum on the late-second-term blues of the White House. The writings come from such publications as The New Yorker, The New Republic, the Atlantic Monthly, and Vanity Fair.