NEWSWEEK Media Lead Sheet/February 18, 2008 Issue (on newsstands Monday, February 11)

NEWSWEEK Media Lead Sheet/February 18, 2008 Issue (on newsstands Monday, February 11)

COVER: "There Will Be Blood: Why The Right Hates McCain" (p. 26). Washington Correspondent Eve Conant, White House Correspondent Holly Bailey and Senior Editor Michael Hirsh report on the recent volleys between the warring conservative pundits over current GOP front runner John McCain. The latest Newsweek poll shows that 76 percent of all GOP voters and 69 percent of self-described conservatives say they would be satisfied with McCain as the GOP nominee, but listening to the more outspoken conservative pundits, one would hardly think he is doing so well. Prominent hard-right pundits such as Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh have been ranting over McCain and his position in the polls, while other right-wing pundits have launched counterattacks in what has become a case of the party's base bringing chaos out of order.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/109699

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080210/NYSU002 )

Newsweek Poll: Out Front: McCain romps while the Dems divide

http://www.newsweek.com/id/109495

JONATHAN ALTER: "The Theater of Big Change" (p. 34). Senior Editor and Columnist Jonathan Alter writes that both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will have to give a more concrete sense of how they would change Washington. "The first task is to clarify what changes we're talking about," Alter writes. "Iraq is a wash: both candidates would repair the breach with our allies. It's fixing health care and leading the country to make the sacrifices necessary to address global warming that would test which one is the real changemaker ... Beating the odds of failure takes both a silver tongue and sharp elbows. So maybe the most relevant contrast is over which candidate is better at the other person's strength."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/109590

NATION: "The Expectation Gap" (p. 36). Senior White House Correspondent Richard Wolffe and San Francisco Bureau Chief Karen Breslau report that while many voters are buying into the possibility of change that Barack Obama promises, others are unmoved. They know that presidential candidates have been promising to change the nation's capital as long as they can remember. That doesn't mean, of course, that the presidency is somehow inconsequential or that change does not happen. It's just that the change rarely has much to do with campaign promises, and everything to do with unexpected events, from Pearl Harbor to 9/11.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/109588

"He's One of Us Now" (p. 38). Assistant Editor Andrew Romano writes that after three months of chasing the candidates from coast to coast for his Newsweek.com blog, Stumper, he believes the strength of Barack Obama is not so much the youth support, "it's how fully and seamlessly he embodies the attitudes, aspirations and shortcomings of the generation that's rallied around him." "In truth, to call the Democratic primary contest a battle between young and old would be reductive. Instead, Democrats are struggling to choose between different generational views of governance. On one side is Clinton, the consummate baby boomer. On the other is Obama-not a late boomer, as his birth date would suggest, but the first millennial to run for president. For better and for worse," he writes.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/109589

PAKISTAN: "The General's New Mission" (p. 44). National Security Correspondent John Barry, Special Correspondent Zahid Hussain and South Asia Bureau Chief Ron Moreau report on Pakistan's latest Army chief, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who is tasked with one of the toughest, most urgent military assignments in the world: reforming Pakistan's armed forces and rescuing the country itself from possible collapse. Unless he can do that, and quickly, the official outcome in next week's parliamentary elections could be beside the point.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/109585

INTERVIEW: "'It Sits on Your Conscience'" (p. 46). Africa Bureau Chief Scott Johnson interviews former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan about his efforts to mediate in Kenya, where tribal killings that began after a disputed presidential election on Dec. 27 continue to rage. "We're now at the critical item of resolving the political crisis. The two sides have stated their cases. The government side feels they won [the election] fair and square. The opposition thinks the government stole it fair and square. My problem is to bridge that difference."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/109586

ROBERT J. SAMUELSON: "The $3 Trillion Cop-Out" (p. 47). Contributing Editor Robert J. Samuelson writes that the $3.1 trillion budget submitted last week by President Bush "reminds us of the huge gap between uplifting political rhetoric-including the rhetoric of this campaign-and the grim realities of governing. Budgets are not just numbers. They express political choices," Samuelson writes. "The reigning philosophy, practiced by both parties and largely approved by the public, is to evade choices ... For most Americans, what matters most are their own tax breaks and government benefits and not the budget's larger effects on society."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/109610

BUSINESS: "The King of NASCAR" (p. 48). National Correspondent Daniel McGinn profiles Rick Hendrick, the force behind NASCAR's biggest stars such as Jeff Gordon, Casey Mears, Jimmie Johnson and now, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Adding Earnhardt to the roster is a coup-but Hendrick's biggest concern lately hasn't been the makeup of the new team but the economy. The economic slowdown has affected sponsors and right now his top priority is ensuring they see measurable benefits from NASCAR.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/109579

SHARON BEGLEY: "The Biology of Love-Not" (p. 53). Senior Editor Sharon Begley writes that reductionist explanations for lustful behavior-especially "my genes made me do it"-are popular because they let us off the hook. But now some scientists are saying factors such as mood and preference in physical features are more plausible than "our mindless DNA" when it comes to attraction and love.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/109611

THE ARTS: "Santa Monica Peers" (p. 57). Associate Editor Ramin Setoodeh reports on the Spirit Awards. The awards show (and the movies it celebrates) is gaining more visibility, and becoming a favorite for many stars. "It's the one awards show where the stars that are there get to be themselves. It's not about the red carpet. It's about the work," says this year's host Rainn Wilson.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/109615

BOOKS: "How to Train a Husband" (p. 58). Assistant Editor Jennie Yabroff reports on the new book by Amy Sutherland, "What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love and Marriage." Sutherland suggests the key to marital bliss is to ignore negative habits and reward positive ones, the same approach animal trainers use to get killer whales to leap from their tanks and elephants to stand on their heads.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/109614

TIP SHEET: "Kids: To TV or Not TV " (p. 60). General Editor Anna Kuchment reports on the growing body of research showing that, with planning, children can benefit from watching television. Newsweek provides a list of recommended programming by age groups.

http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/tipsheet/default.aspx

PRNewswire -- Feb. 10

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Source: Newsweek

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