The Weekly Standard: A Reader: 1995-2005 (Hardcover)

by William Kristol (Author) "A CONCEIT OF THE MODERN AGE is that we're free and independent-thinking people who decide, wholly on our own, how to live our lives..." (more)
Key Phrases: hairless man, incapacitated state, peace camp, United States, New York, World War (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
"Magazine journalism is a perishable medium," writes Weekly Standard editor William Kristol in this anniversary anthology of the right-leaning magazine's writings, and "political and social commentary is the most perishable magazine journalism of all." Though the events framed within this retrospective-from the death of Dorothy Lamour to the war in Iraq-were hot for a moment (or, in some cases, much longer), they remain pertinent pieces of history, even after the public consciousness moves on to the next big thing. During its first decade in print, the magazine has featured the work of conservative luminaries and pundits such as PJ O'Rourke, who, with his acerbic pen, skewered then-first lady Hillary Clinton's book It Takes a Village, which, he noted, offered advice on how to entertain children with a sock puppet. Yet among John Podhoretz's lamenting the death of Broadway and Tucker Carlson's gleeful recollections of forged letters past, there are pieces that will be seen as eerily prophetic. In his April 2003 piece, "Liberating Iraq," Stephen Hayes writes of Saddam Hussein's overthrow at a time when optimism over that country's fate was still palpable. Yet, his observations telegraph problems to come. "Many Iraqis here...seemed to be fighting their own emotions, lurching unpredictably from gratitude to desperation to apprehension." Even more striking is Reuel Marc Gerecht's prescient July 2001 piece on the lack of American urgency in the face of an Al Qaeda threat. Ideology and politics aside, it remains astonishing to review what the last ten years has wrought, and Kristol's ambitious venture has captured them with humor, sobriety and intelligence.
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Product Description

A collection of the most provocative and insightful writing from the influential conservative magazine the Weekly Standard.

Smart, tough, and opinionated, The Weekly Standard has been America's most influential conservative journal since its inception in 1995. In this collection, editor William Kristol gathers the most provocative and insightful pieces from the magazine's ten–year history, assembling a who's–who not just of conservative commentary, but of contemporary journalism. With pieces from the likes of David Brooks, P.J. O'Rourke, Christopher Hitchens, and Tucker Carlson, the collection ranges from penetrating coverage of foreign and domestic policy to erudite cultural commentary to acerbic and hilarious parodies. Readers will be treated to a pundit's history of the decade, as told by the magazine that has become mandatory reading inside the Beltway––a series of engaging, thought–provoking essays that will appeal not just to the Weekly Standard's large and loyal readership but to anyone who cares about American politics and culture.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: Harper (September 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060852747
• ISBN-13: 978-0060852740
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #961,393 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great anthology, November 21, 2005

By	John - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Contrary to what the first reviewer wrote, this is an excellent anthology. David Brook's "Fog of Peace" is an excellent essay on the Left's inability to think straight on Iraq, because, as he so eloquently puts it, "their entire moral space is filled with [Bush hatred]". So very true. And the history of Iraq is not yet written. Bush deposed one of the most ruthless fascist dictators of all time, and established a democracy, virtually overnight. At the same time, the U.S. took out, as Cheney put it "the most likely nexus between Al Quida and weapons of mass destruction" [it never was just about WMDs, as the Left always states]. But this book is not only about Iraq. The Iraq essay is excellent and shows the shallowness of the Left on that issue. The other essays are interesting, and it is not just about politics. I really am impressed by the Weekly Standard, and I read it every week. It has some of the most fresh and new ideas (for example, this past week, an excellent article on why the 'bird flu' scare is overhyped), and I find it a nice change of pace away from the group-think, paranoia, shallowness, hatred, and pessimism so prevailent on the Left today.

10 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars In the immortal words of Jon Stewart, October 26, 2005

By	elwin "elwin" (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews

I saw Jon Stewart interview Kristol last night on the daily show. As best I can remember, Jon said:

"Bill, you people were way ahead of the curve! This book proves that you were wrong about Iraq _way_ before everyone else was wrong about Iraq!"

That sums it up pretty nicely. I think history will show that Kristol & Co were also wrong about Bush being a conservative (as that word is currently understood) but it'll take a few more years to be sure. Conservatives: buy this book, get extra copies for your friends, remember how sure of yourselves you were, and never forget how wrong you were. Moderates and liberals: all you need to know is summed up in the Jon Stewart quote