There has been a little buzz recently around presidential candidates and books.
In a recent post about Presidential Libraries I proposed that every candidate have a Shelfari or a Librarything page so we can have a look at what books are in their library. I know it would be a tremendous help in my process of choosing who gets my vote.
Then the AP did a story asking candidates what the last book they read was (the question actually was “What is the last work of fiction you’ve read?” but enough named non-fiction books that it is safe to say last book read)
Now Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul opens a new door in Presidential biblio-history by recommending a reading list to an opponent. He offered Rudy Guiliani a reading list of foreign-policy books that might better help him better understand the possibility “that attacks by Islamic militants are fueled by the U.S. presence in the Middle East.”
Books on the list include:
9/11 Commission Report!
Blowback – a book on the “unintended consequences of U.S. foreign policy”
Dying to Win -“which argues that suicide bombers only mobilize against an occupying force”
Maybe the next step is a Candidate Book Club where they all read the same book, chosen by a vote of the people, and then hold a televised discussion led by Charlie Rose.