From The Wilson Quarterly, Americans love to complain about gridlock in Washington and partisan warfare between presidents and Congress, yet the record suggests that unified party government is no panacea; teaching a hippo to dance: The most brilliant policies will fail if government does not attract talented people and free them to do their best work; William Galston on the five maxims the federal government can follow to regain the public confidence it has lost over the past four decades; and a look at how America’s national security structure is designed to confront the challenges of the last century rather than our own. From Splice Today, an article on the roots of blogging: Literary masters' journals are being reprinted as blog updates, which is perhaps the best way to read them. From VQR, a look at how book reviews are moving from print to podcasts. From THES, children of the revolution: The Sixties generation of academics are approaching retirement, so what better time to consider that contentious era's legacy; and comic-strip hero: Graduate student Jorge Cham decided to look on the bright side of his experiences and created a comic that is entertaining millions. Thomas Frank says bipartisanship is a silly Beltway obsession. A theory that explains the evolution of ecosystems may apply to civilizations as well-and it says we're approaching a critical phase.

From NYRB, such, such was Eric Blair: A review of books by George Orwell; and here are selections from the letters of Norman Mailer (and part 2); and can we transform the auto-industrial society? Emma Rothschild wants to know. From the Project for Excellence in Journalism, here's a special report on the New Washington Press Corps. Manufacturing Guilt: Experts say this exclusive video shows a dental examiner creating the bite marks that put a man on death row. Salon asks what President Obama will do about the rise of suicide and murder among U.S. soldiers returning from combat; and an interview with Alexandra Pelosi, director of "Right America: Feeling Wronged". From Sign and Sight, Bernard-Henri Levy embarks on an adventure of anti-Nazi dialectics — first stop: Tom Cruise; and submission in advance: 20 years after the fatwa was issued against Salman Rushdie, Islamism has the West more firmly in its grip than ever before. How cartoons joined the 21st century: Forget paper and wave goodbye to inky fingers; Simon Usborne discovers the hottest comics are strictly online (and from Bookforum, a review of Douglas Wolk’s Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean). From TNR, a review of 2666 by Roberto Bolano. From Smithsonian, a look at how Lincoln and Darwin shaped the modern world. A review of Everyday Aesthetics by Yuriko Saito.

From Open Democracy, Tony Curzon Price on the liberty of the networked (and part 2 and part 3). From The Philosophers' Magazine, the village anti-idiot: An English village rediscovering Hobbes, its greatest thinker; James Connelly on Collingwood and the finest philosophical autobiography ever; three senior editors at leading philosophy publishers pick the books the buyers have missed; an interview with Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on why civil society needs saving; a review of Illness by Havi Carel, Sport by Colin McGinn, and Hunger by Raymond Tallis. Julian Baggini on Hume on religion (and part 2). Terrorism experts feared that North Africa would be the next Afghanistan: a haven, and a launching pad, for Al Qaeda — why hasn’t it turned out that way? We share DNA with chimps and other primates, and are tempted to overshare more of ourselves. The Hard Cases: Will Obama institute a new kind of preventive detention for terrorist suspects?  Literary death spiral: Dick Meyer on the fading book section. From Popular Mechanics, a special section on UFOs, including a look at the 10 most influential UFO-inspired books, movies and TV shows. How did humans develop? Fossils and molecular genetics are just some of the tools researchers have used to answer questions about the history of the human species. Dani Rodrik on Capitalism 2.0: Coming soon.

A new issue of Education Next is out. From CRB, an essay on the roots of liberal condescension: Snobbery is the last refuge of the liberal-arts major. From New York, why the New School insurrection may be Bob Kerrey's greatest battle. The history behind the film and play "Frost/Nixon": John Dean on how David Frost really convinced Richard Nixon to talk. Thomas Ricks on why the war in Iraq isn't over — the main events may not even have happened yet. The New Yorker profiles Rahm Emmanuel, the gatekeeper. Time profiles Robert Gibbs, the president's warrior. A look at how relentless press-bashing — from both the Left and the Right — just gives politicians more reasons to ignore the media. From The Nation, a review of Writing in the Dark: Essays on Literature and Politics by David Grossman. From Mother Jones, America on $195 a week: How the working poor get by — barely; an interview with Michael Pollan, America's favorite food intellectual; and Kevin Drum on 10 ways to trade up: How Obama can fix the climate, raise billions for clean tech, and send you a fat check. Brad DeLong on building a better life via deficit spending. From Air & Space, an interview with Chesley Sullenberger on That Day, his advice for young pilots, and hitting the ditch button (or not). Sense and Sensibility: A.C. Grayling debuts his new column "The Thinking Read".