MANIFEST DESTINIES The Economist on the Office of the Presidency, from Polk to Obama, 1845-2008

Listening to this production is a bit like a fast audio tour through THE ECONOMIST's views on the American presidencies. Since 1843, the magazine (which calls itself a newspaper) has rendered its opinions on the world to the world in a fashion that attracts people who think about, and care about, the news of the world and its vital global context. This production is an educational tour of the significant national and international issues of the day since the term of James Polk in 1845. An interesting sideline is a rating the editors give to our leaders: who were the real greats, the duds? The production quality is like a BBC Radio performance—highbrow, high quality, educational, and entertaining. The number of voices is unnecessary but works well given all the natural breaks between presidents and centuries. M.C. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2009]