This month's issue (Dec 07) of The Atlantic is fantastic. The cover article is Andrew Sullivan's "Goodbye to all that," on the potential of Barack Obama to transform American politics and bridge the still-raging battles of the 60s that desperately need to be laid to rest for the country to heal and move on after the Bush years. A friend commented to me that the piece is light on argument, and it probably is - because what Sullivan is trying to convey is intuitive and emotional, not purely rational - but not to its detriment. Not lacking examples of Obama's proven ability, Sullivan is calling for Americans to take a risk on a relatively unknown but potentially revitalizing candidate, because the near-certain alternatives - a continuation and affirmation of the creeping fascism of Bush-Cheney, or a polarizing, Bush-lite candidacy of Hillary Clinton - are guaranteed to continue the inter-generational feud that continues to pointlessly paralyze and stultify American government.
Whether the piece will convince anyone not already in the Obama camp, I don't know, but it's definitely worth reading.

The article immediately following that is a wonderful piece of behind-the-scenes journalism by Mark Ambinder, "Teacher and Apprentice," on the relationship between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and the workings of their campaigns. It's journalism exploring the depths, not only of political figures, but of political journalism itself, with some very interesting analysis of the role the media plays in the system.

Finally, Hanna Rosin has a story, titled "How Hollywood Saved God," on the making of Philip Pullman's novels into movies. I read The Golden Compass many years ago; I don't remember much except the term "daemons" and that I liked it. The movie, judging from the article, sounds like it'll be entertaining but terribly dumbed-down. I love this paragraph,

You can almost see Pullman cringing at the standard Tinseltown crypto-Buddhist babble. Be Spiritual. Praise the Divine. Offend No One. Then say, Ommmmm.

It is sad how the studios have to bend over backwards to avoid saying anything subversive. Hollywood has taken on the financially secure role of

defender of American virtues: justice, individual freedom, and the power of one innocent soul to save the world.

In other words, blah blah blah. One innocent soul can the world, but don't offend anyone doing it! The removal of all anti-Church motifs from the movies does not mean religious groups are embracing the film - they're still worried that the movie will encourage kids to buy the books, God Forbid - but it will ensure that the whole trilogy goes on screen, and that's in both the author's and the studio's interests.

There's more in this month's issue, of course. Worth picking up at a newsstand or reading online.