Curriculum

I cooked this up a few weeks back for another purpose, but it still works. Books I wish the next President would read:

Michael Bacevic, New Militarism (glamorizing the military and related topics)
Dean Baker, The Conservative Nanny State (as Milton Friedman says, nobody loves a free market)
Bruce Bartlett, Imposter (Bush bashing from the right, every critical quote from a right winger)
Martin Van Creveld, Rise & Decline of the State (on intl banks, mafias, porous borders, etc.)
William Easterly, Elusive Quest for Growth (or maybe his new one, which sounds suspiciously like his old)
Thomas Hammes, Sling & the Stone (on why winning battles is not winning wars)
Chalmers Johnson, Sorrows of Empire (thinking man's Noam Chomsky)
Anatol Lieven, America Right or Wrong (critique of patriotism)
Pete Peterson, Running on Empty (I expose my flinty New England roots here)
John Scott, Seeing Like a State (on the burden of living out some other guy's fantasy)

When he's done with that, the President can come back for the advanced list (He? Or she? Sure, or she). No, no dates and links. Sorry 'bout that, but you can find them at your, ahem, online retailer of choice.