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.

June

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

JulyFire-Breathing Liberal by Congressman Robert Wexler with David Fisher (St. Martin's/Dunne) “The book gives readers a rare insider's view of Congress and how it actually works, by a notably outspoken, progressive member of the House.”—Joel Ariantham, editor60,000-copy first printing; national mediaVets Under Siege by Martin Schram (St. Martin's/Dunne)“Schram exposes the shameless mistreatment of our young servicemen and women by the U.S. government.”—Joan Higgins, associate director of publicity50,000-copy first printing; national TV/radio/printThe Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals by Jane Mayer (Doubleday)New Yorker reporter Mayer looks at what Dick Cheney calls “the dark side.”100,000-copy first printing; national publicity campaignAugust
The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule by Thomas Frank (Metropolitan) (Aug.)
“From the author of What's the Matter with Kansas, a jaw-dropping investigation of the deliberate and far-reaching devastation conservatives have visited on our government as they've sold it off to the highest bidder.”—Sara Bershtel, associate publisher
200,000-copy first printing; 20-city author tour
Blue Dixie: Awakening the South's Democratic Majority by Bob Moser (Holt/Times)
“Bucking the doomsday trend of the past, Moser shows why the GOP's nearly 30-year stranglehold on the Southern vote is fraying.”—Robin Dennis, senior editor
50,000-copy first printing; regional Southern tour
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution—and How It Can Renew America by Thomas Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
The latest from the New York Times columnist and author of The World Is Flat.
1-million-copy first printing; national publicity campaign
Mike's Election Guide by Michael Moore (Grand Central)
“No one uses humor better to illuminate what's wrong and right about our country, the world, and in this case, our voting process.”—Jamie Raab, executive v-p/publisher
National publicity
Religion, Race, and the American Presidency, edited by Gaston Espinosa (Rowman & Littlefield)
A prescient title for this election season.
1,000-copy cloth first printing
September
America and the World: Conversations on the Future of American Foreign Policy by Zbigniew Brzezinski and Brent Scowcroft, moderated by David Ignatius (Basic)
“No two people are better qualified to analyze the problems facing us, and offer imaginative yet realistic solutions, than Brzezinski and Scowcroft.”—Bill Frucht, editor
100,000-copy first printing; 4-city author tour
Unintended Consequences by Peter Galbraith (Simon & Schuster)
“This is a breathtaking and dismaying description of the storm the next president will inherit from this misguided Bush war, which has exposed our weakness and strengthened our enemies”—Alice Mayhew, editorial director
100,000-copy first printing; 8-city author tour
Untitled on Bush: Vol. IV by Bob Woodward (S&S)
“Woodward continues to pull back the curtain to show the Bush administration, now in its waning days, maneuvering to try to offer a definition of this presidency. This is unfiltered historical narrative of which Woodward is the acknowledged master.”—Alice Mayhew, editorial director
Embargoed; 750,000 first printing; national author publicity
Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency by Barton Gellman (Penguin Press)
Darth Vader analyzed by Pulitzer Prize—winning investigative journalist Gellman.
Embargoed; 5-city publicity tour; satellite radio tour
The Devil We Know by Robert Baer (Crown)
“Baer parts company with virtually every Iran-watching pundit by maintaining that Iran has so cemented its status as a true superpower—one on the cusp of absorbing all Gulf oil states into its empire—that America must form an alliance with it.”—Rick Horgan, v-p/executive editor
100,000-copy first printing; national publicity; 40-city radio satellite tour
October
The Third Term: Why John McCain Is Really Just More George W. Bush by Paul Begala (S&S) “The CNN commentator and strategist demonstrates how a McCain presidency would be the ultimate nightmare déjà vu—four more years of Bush.”—David Rosenthal, executive v-p/publisher
100,000-copy first printing; national publicity
The Case Against Israel's Enemies by Alan Dershowitz (Wiley)
“Dershowitz is the strong voice needed to rebut and unmask the dangerous arguments that distort the real Israel.”—Hana Lane, senior editor
75,000-copy first printing; national author publicity

Books on Obama
Nowhere do you see the influence of the Barack Obama phenomenon more than in the publishing industry. Last year his two memoirs, The Audacity of Hope and Dreams from My Father, sold 439,658 copies in paperback for Three Rivers. Two other bestselling authors—John McCain and Hillary Clinton—never came close to matching those numbers.

Now it is time for other publishers to cash in. There is every imaginable type of Obama book coming out this year: laudatory, photographic, comic, children's, critical and spousal—the first biography of Michelle Obama.

Yes We Can by Garen Thomas (Feiwel & Friends, June)

“Even though published on a crash schedule, this biography is both deeply felt and beautifully presented. The content and design will compel, inspire and inform readers of all ages—but is specifically written for the 9—up audience.”—Jean Feiwel, publisher

50,000-copy first printing

The Rise of Barack Obama, photographs and text by Pete Souza (Triumph, July)

A total of 120 black-and-white photos of the Democratic nominee

125,000-copy first printing with four reprints pre-scheduled

Nowhere do you see the influence of the Barack Obama phenomenon more than in the publishing industry. Last year his two memoirs, The Audacity of Hope and Dreams from My Father, sold 439,658 copies in paperback for Three Rivers. Two other bestselling authors—John McCain and Hillary Clinton—never came close to matching those numbers.

Now it is time for other publishers to cash in. There is every imaginable type of Obama book coming out this year: laudatory, photographic, comic, children's, critical and spousal—the first biography of Michelle Obama.

Yes We Can by Garen Thomas (Feiwel & Friends, June)

“Even though published on a crash schedule, this biography is both deeply felt and beautifully presented. The content and design will compel, inspire and inform readers of all ages—but is specifically written for the 9—up audience.”—Jean Feiwel, publisher

50,000-copy first printing

The Rise of Barack Obama, photographs and text by Pete Souza (Triumph, July)

A total of 120 black-and-white photos of the Democratic nominee

125,000-copy first printing with four reprints pre-scheduled

Obamanomics by John R. Talbott (Seven Stories, July)

“Bestselling business author Talbott asserts that any truly successful economic system creates real value for all of its citizens; he makes the case that Obama's emphasis on economic justice will mark a sea change in American politics.”

—Dan Simon, publisher

35,000-copy first printing; national TV/radio

The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield (Nelson, Aug.)

“Obama's faith not only appears sincere but also plays an important role in his approach to politics. Given that, who better situated than a Christian publisher to explore the hopes and beliefs of a man who may very well be the next president of the United States?”—Joel Miller, v-p/publisher

60,000-copy first printing; national TV/radio

Barack Obama Is Your New Bicycle: 366 Ways He Really Cares by Mathew Honan (Gotham, Aug.)

Based on the Web site www.barackobamaisyournewbicycle.com

National TV/radio; heavy Internet publicity

The Case Against Barack Obama by David Freddoso (Regnery, Aug.)

The author, a frequent contributor to the conservative National Review, will marshal the right's argument against the Democratic nominee.

150,000-first printing; major publicity

Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grimes, illus. by Bryan Collier (S&S Books for Young Readers, Sept.)

From the author who won the Coretta Scott King Author Award; ages 9—12.

100,000-copy first printing; major academic/library promotion

Michelle Obama by Liza Mundy (S&S; Oct.) “Michelle is fascinating to people because it's clear she has a strong sense of who she is. This biography will describe the amazing journey of her life, and how she became the strong woman she is today.”—Priscilla Painton, editor-in-chief

100,000-copy first printing; 3-city-tour
Think Tank Presses
It's a term ingrained in the American vocabulary, but what, exactly, is a think tank?

“A think tank, or public policy research organization,” according to David Boaz, executive v-p at the Cato Institute, “is an organization, usually nonprofit, that engages in research on public policy issues. Some cover a whole spectrum of issues; others concentrate on a narrower field, such as taxation or the environment. Most of them reflect a philosophical perspective—liberal, libertarian, conservative, socialist or whatever.”

Think tanks are supported by the government, endowments, corporations and foundations. They also have another source of income—their publishing presses. Not all think tanks have presses, but the ones that do depend on them to spread their message not only to the masses—usually with the help of TV and the op-ed pages—but especially to those in Washington who make major policy decisions.

Cato Institute

Founded 1977; 10—12 titles annually

“Cato, unlike most think tank presses and, for that matter, commercial presses, puts a substantial amount of resources into the promotion of its books, since the goal is not only to advertise the publication of each book but to communicate the work of the institute and the authors' perspectives on policy issues at the same time.”—David Boaz, executive vice president, Cato Institute

Hot 2008 Title:The Cult of the Presidency by Gene Healy (Apr.)

Proud Past Success:Pocket Constitution: The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States (over 500,000 copies sold)

United States Institute of Peace

Founded 1991; 17 titles annually

“Congress mandated that USIP engage not only in basic and applied research on conflict resolution and prevention (and disseminate that research) but that it also conduct peace education and training, grant making and hands-on efforts to give people in conflict settings the tools they need to build peace.”—Valerie Norville, director of publications

Hot 2008 Title:Negotiating Arab-Israeli Peace: American Leadership in the Middle East by Ambassador Daniel C. Kurtzer and Scott B. Lasensky (Mar.)

Proud Past Success:Leashing the Dogs of War: Conflict Management in a Divided World by Chester A. Crocker, Fen Osler Hampson and Pamela R. Aall

Peterson Institute for International Economics

Founded 1981; 15 titles annually

“Since 1981 the institute has provided timely and objective analysis of, and concrete solutions to, a wide range of international economic problems.”—Edward Tureen, director of publications/marketing/Web development

Hot 2008 Title:China's Rise: Challenges and Opportunities by C. Fred Bergsten, Charles Freeman, Nicholas R. Lardy and Derek J. Mitchell (Sept.)

Proud Past Success:American Trade Politics by I.M. Destler (100,000 copies in print)

American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research

Founded 1943; 15 titles annually

“For the AEI, our press is very important, and together with opinion pieces submitted to newspapers, our scholars appearing in the media and various events held at the AEI, our end goal is to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism.”—Suzanne Edam, publications marketing manager

Hot 2008 Title:Making a Killing: The Deadly Implications of the Counterfeit Drug Trade by Roger Bate (June)

Proud Past Success:The New American Political System by Anthony King; In Our Hands by Charles Murray

Brookings Institution

Founded 1916; 50—60 titles annually

“[The goal of the press is] to support and further the mission of the overall institution. In the particular case of Brookings, that means informing debate on public policy issues and providing innovative yet practical recommendations.”—Christopher Kelaher, marketing director/senior acquisitions editor and Robert Faherty, director

Hot 2008 Title:The Search for Al Qaeda by Bruce Riedel (Dec.)

Proud Past Success: In 2006 Vartan Gregorian's book, Islam: A Mosaic, Not a Monolith, was selected as #1 on the Wall Street Journal list of “books most essential to understanding Islam.”