The Mendacity of Hope: Barack Obama and the Betrayal of American Liberalism

Left-wingers and right-wingers looking for Obama-bashing will find ample ammunition in veteran journalist Hodge's critique of the current administration. Hodge relates the high expectations for "Archangel" Obama, despite his corporate ties and his Congressional voting record. With Obama's cabinet, Hodge says, we saw that "change" was not on the table so much as continuity, that the health care reform bill proved a disappointment, and that the military situation remains the same. Furthermore, Obama's "record on torture, detention, and executive authority is even worse," and "our constitutional system may never recover." Hodge, former editor in chief of Harper's Magazine, supports his arguments with lengthy discussion of historical politics, from the founding fathers through the Clinton and Bush administrations, and ends with a call to voters "to alter its mode of government" and "provide new guards for our future security." Hodge's first book will interest a broad audience, from activists seeking to change the "political will" to academics seeking historical context. (Oct.)