Now or Never

In this take-no-prisoners survey of a nation in the grip of multiple crises, Jack Cafferty turns his unflinching sights on what needs to go right in President Obama's first term. Putting his own signature stamp on Obama's campaign slogan, he tells the charismatic new leader that this is a time for "change we will believe in when we see it." Cafferty applies his heat-seeking scrutiny to the hot-button issues that will top the 2009 agenda, including the continuing economic and energy crises, Iraq, Afghanistan, China, the global war on terror, and our broken immigration, education, and health-care systems, as well as other issues of domestic and international instability. He cuts through the spin and the blame games to reveal the truth about how these disasters happened and what we should expect our new president to do about them. He also offers ways we can monitor whether the new administration is really turning things around or just settling into its own version of business as usual. While Cafferty certainly pulls no punches when detailing the misdeeds of Bush, Paulson, and the usual Republican suspects, he is, as always, an equal-opportunity critic of the rich, powerful, and complacent in both parties. He goes after the Democratic Party (examining its fiercely contested primary campaign), Nancy Pelosi, the ACLU, and causes beloved by liberals that he believes may threaten America's future. One of Cafferty's most valuable skills is his ability to connect big-picture politics with the realities of day-to-day life for most Americans. Through moving stories of his experiences struggling to raise his own kids with values that seem to be disappearing in our culture, he brings seemingly abstract issues down to earth and reveals why they should matter to every citizen. Cafferty's distinctive combination of skepticism, patriotism, and caustic wit has long given voice to the fears and hopes of people from all around the country. In Now or Never, he joins the majority of Americans in offering President Obama his full support along with profound wishes for the new administration's success. On the other hand, should Obama be tempted at any point to emulate his predecessor's arrogance and try to hoodwink the great American middle class, he should remember: Jack Cafferty is watching.