Untruth and consequences / Carl M. Cannon -- A unified theory of scandal: the real roots of the U.S. attorney firings / Jeffrey Rosen -- Not compassionate, not conservative / Ethan Fishman -- The Washington back channel / Max Frankel -- Karl Rove's split personality / Todd S. Purdum -- Southern discomfort: the strangest senate race of the year / Peter J. Boyer -- The worst congress ever / Matt Taibbi -- Democrats: the big surprise / Elizabeth Drew -- This is Baghdad. What could be worse? / Anthony Shadid -- Survivor: the White House edition / Michael Wolff -- The surge / Peter W. Galbraith -- Neo Culpa / David Rose -- The state of the world / Thomas P.M. Barnett -- The redirection / Seymour M. Hersh -- Declaring victory / James Fallows -- The power of green / Thomas L. Friedman -- Why hawks win / Daniel Kahneman and Jonathan Renshon -- One of us / Chris Jones -- Rudy Tuesday / Stephen Rodrick -- The lessons of the father / Neil Swidey -- The starting gate / Jeffrey Goldberg -- The woman in the bubble / Chris Smith -- The accidental populist / Jason Zengerle -- The conciliator / Larissa MacFarquhar -- Money choose sides / John Heilmann.