New Republic, July 3

A pair of cover pieces advises Gore to be negative and dull. One argues that Al Gore should run a negative campaign because he's good at it and because as a quasi-incumbent he'll fare better picking apart George W. Bush's new policy proposals than trying to repackage old Clinton-Gore ideas. ... The other tells Gore to stop pretending he's not boring. A boring policy Gore highlights Bush's lightweight status, while a fake gregarious Gore comes off as disingenuous. … An article casts now-discredited Energy Secretary Bill Richardson as Clinton's victim. Clinton had Richardson take over the political graveyard that is the Energy Department in order to fill an informal Hispanic quota, and now Richardson's career is probably over because of the department's predictable failings. (Read David Plotz's "Assessment" of Richardson here.)

Atlantic Monthly, July 2000

Speaking of Al Gore's negatives, the cover story explains why Gore is such a great debater. He's only lost once—to Dan Quayle—because he's obsessive about preparation and will do whatever it takes to win, including stretch the truth and intentionally annoy or offend his opponents. Watching Gore debate makes you respect his ability more but like him less. ... A piece laments the number of stolen pets sold to labs for research purposes. Scientists and government investigators look the other way, and the biomedical research lobby buries anti-pet-theft legislation in Congress.

Economist, June 24

The cover story argues that Mexico's PRI is finally losing power after 70 years. A rapidly modernizing economy is rendering the party's tactic of giving away land in the rural south increasingly ineffective, so a victory in next week's elections will probably be the party's last. ... An article claims that human trafficking is now bigger business worldwide than drug trafficking. Crime syndicates earn as much as $20 billion a year smuggling people across borders, and no one has any idea how to stop it. ... A piece suggests that Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) could win this weekend's elections despite Robert Mugabe's state-sponsored terrorism to destroy it. MDC is running candidates in every constituency (though many are in hiding), and a recent poll showed MDC winning 70 out of 150 seats in parliament. 

New York Times Magazine, June 25

The cover story visits a Pakistani "jihad factory," an Islamic seminary where students learn nothing but the Koran, are indoctrinated to revere terrorist Osama Bin Laden, and urged to carry on eternal war against Serbia, Russia, Israel, the United States, and the anti-Taliban northern alliance in Afghanistan. A million men attend such madrasas in Pakistan. … Several actresses debate getting naked in movies. Sarah Jessica Parker won't, Sandra Bernhard will, and Rosie Perez thinks Blue Velvet had the best nude scenes ever. … An article decries the state-sanctioned terrorist campaign against Zimbabwe's 4,000 white farmers and the democratic opposition to President Robert Mugabe. Afraid of losing power, Mugabe declared white farmers enemies of the state and gave "war veterans" free rein to seize farmland and intimidate opposition party members, at least 30 of whom have been murdered so far. (Click here to read David Plotz's recent "Assessment" of Mugabe.)

Texas Monthly, July 2000

One piece in the cover package describes how George W. Bush can win, the other suggests it will be a catastrophe if he does. … The Bush strategy article urges Dubya to stick to the compassionate conservative message. By rolling out aggressive policy proposals he combats the Bush-is-stupid conventional wisdom and sloughs off Republicans-are-for-the-rich stereotypes. But if he runs on image, as he did in the primaries, he will highlight his immense inexperience and his elite pedigree. … The other piece collects withering observations from top Texas Democrats. Former Clinton adviser Paul Begala calls Bush "lighter than my grandma's biscuits," and former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gary Mauro says he "never met a politician with less passion about the issues than George W. Bush."