Dear Reader,
In this issue of TNR, Noam Scheiber pens the definitive profile of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Geithner got off to a rough start in his post. He frequently stumbled in public, and it seemed possible that he would be the first cabinet member to lose his job. And yet, more than two years later, Geithner is in control of Obama’s economic policy, and has emerged as one of the cabinet’s most powerful members. Noam spent months assembling the inside story of how this happened—and what it means for the future of the American economy.
Also in this issue, TNR’s education reporter, Seyward Darby, has a terrific piece about Michelle Rhee, the most controversial figure in education policy today. Most coverage of Rhee falls into one of two camps: glowing or completely negative. But Seyward has a more nuanced take. She thinks Rhee has done wonderful things for education, but she’s bothered by some of Rhee’s recent stances—especially her alliance with several conservative governors. Seyward challenged Rhee on all this during a recent interview, and it makes for a fascinating exchange.
There’s more: TNR’s dance critic, Jennifer Homans, has a brilliant critique of the movie Black Swan—calling it “a crushing disappointment and a lost opportunity … a vision so drenched in lurid stereotypes and flamboyant clichés, so stripped of human possibility, so drunk with its own technique (mirrors!) and with violence and crass sex, that it leaves the viewer emotionally cold.” John Judis travels to Chicago to try to figure out what Rahm Emanuel’s seemingly inevitable victory will mean for the city. Jonathan Cohn looks at how the much-derided No Child Left Behind actually helped to improve one school in Michigan. Cynthia Ozick reviews a collection of Saul Bellow’s letters. And Leon Wieseltier pens a tribute to the sociologist Daniel Bell.
Finally, in our cover story, the editors argue that supporting democracy in Egypt is not only the right thing for America to do; it is also the strategically wise thing.
Subscribe today and get exclusive access days before the issue hits newsstands.
Richard Just
Editor
In this issue of TNR, Noam Scheiber pens the definitive profile of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Geithner got off to a rough start in his post. He frequently stumbled in public, and it seemed possible that he would be the first cabinet member to lose his job. And yet, more than two years later, Geithner is in control of Obama’s economic policy, and has emerged as one of the cabinet’s most powerful members. Noam spent months assembling the inside story of how this happened—and what it means for the future of the American economy.
Also in this issue, TNR’s education reporter, Seyward Darby, has a terrific piece about Michelle Rhee, the most controversial figure in education policy today. Most coverage of Rhee falls into one of two camps: glowing or completely negative. But Seyward has a more nuanced take. She thinks Rhee has done wonderful things for education, but she’s bothered by some of Rhee’s recent stances—especially her alliance with several conservative governors. Seyward challenged Rhee on all this during a recent interview, and it makes for a fascinating exchange.
There’s more: TNR’s dance critic, Jennifer Homans, has a brilliant critique of the movie Black Swan—calling it “a crushing disappointment and a lost opportunity … a vision so drenched in lurid stereotypes and flamboyant clichés, so stripped of human possibility, so drunk with its own technique (mirrors!) and with violence and crass sex, that it leaves the viewer emotionally cold.” John Judis travels to Chicago to try to figure out what Rahm Emanuel’s seemingly inevitable victory will mean for the city. Jonathan Cohn looks at how the much-derided No Child Left Behind actually helped to improve one school in Michigan. Cynthia Ozick reviews a collection of Saul Bellow’s letters. And Leon Wieseltier pens a tribute to the sociologist Daniel Bell.
Finally, in our cover story, the editors argue that supporting democracy in Egypt is not only the right thing for America to do; it is also the strategically wise thing.
Subscribe today and get exclusive access days before the issue hits newsstands.
Richard Just
Editor