The Best Magazine Cover Ever

Okay, I haven't seen nearly close to all the magazine covers out there, but the cover of this week's Newsweek is one of the best I've ever seen:

In case you can't see it, the footnote reads "*who isn't actually any of these things."

This cover of course relates to the issue's feature story - "The Illustrated Man" - which discusses and debunks the many Obama-lies we hear today, as well as offers advice as to what Obama can do to fight the rumors. Author Jonathan Alter eloquently writes,

The outlandish stories about Barack Hussein Obama are simply false: he wasn't born outside the United States (the tabloid "proof" has been debunked as a crude forgery); he has never been a Muslim (he was raised by an atheist and became a practicing Christian in his 20s); his policies are not "socialist" (he explicitly rejected advice to nationalize the banks and wants government out of General Motors and Chrysler as quickly as possible); he is not a "warmonger" (he promised in 2008 to withdraw from Iraq and escalate in Afghanistan and has done so); he is neither a coddle of terrorists (he has already ordered the killing of more "high value" Quaeda targets in 18 months than his predecessor did in eight years), nor a coddler of Wall Street (his financial reform-package, while watered down, was the most vigorous since the New Deal), nor an enemy of American business (he and the Chamber of Commerce favor tax credits for small businesses that were stymied by the GOP to deprive him of a victory).

Alter also points out other noteworthy facts, like how the number of Americans who (falsely) believe Obama is Muslim has gone up from 13% in 2008 to 24% today. Further, Alter writes that

More than half of Republicans surveyed (52%) think it's "definitely true" or "probably true" that Obama "sympathizes with the goals of fundamentalists who want to impose Islamic law around the world.

Why are the rumors continuing and gaining strength? Alter says that the blame is widespread:

....[the blame] extends from Fox News and the Republican leadership, to the peculiar psychology of resentment in public opinion, to the ham-handed political response of the Obama White House. Whatever the cause, if smash-mouth tactics are validated by huge GOP gains in the midterm elections, then Big Lie politics may be with us for good. (my emphasis)

I know this is getting lengthy, but I hope you're still with me! Alter ends his article by saying that, "Beyond the smears, the president needs changes in policy, personnel, and message to rebut the more legitimate critiques of his record." And he goes on to name some specific actions Obama could take (expanding his circle of economic advisers, finding a place for "a former CEO with experience in capital markets and innovation"). And lastly, Alter writes,

But at least the president is keeping his cool . . . It's a measure of the very otherness that harms him that Barack Obama is not "any person" and that he remains consistently sand as he works this fall to paint himself out of his corner.

Okay, I'm done. I just thought this was a great piece and wanted to share it with you. Happy September!