The Best News Weekly, Period.

I received "U.S. News" as a gift subscription from a friend who knows me well. I was initially suspicious of a mainstream weekly news magazine, as most of them seem to be stilted leftist rags bent on exploiting suffering people to sell copies. I couldn't have been more wrong about "U.S. News". It is a treasure of unbiased, even-handed, and authoritative reporting and editorials. I had previously read "Newsweek" and "Time", and found them to be insufferably biased (especially "Time") and written at the level of a sixth grader in the case of "Time" or a ninth grader in the case of "Newsweek". Yes, each of those two occasionally produces informative and important articles, but with no regularity or predictability.

"U.S. News" is not glitzy or exciting to read, but what it lacks in glamour it makes up tenfold in quality, authoritative reporting of truly significant stories. It caters to an educated audience, but it is always careful to be concise, yet factually, logically, and analytically detailed in all content. Neither politically correct, nor offensive, the editorial tone is truly that of a tolerant, fair, and balanced publication, while simultaneously keeping highbrow pretensions in check (which is the biggest fault of "The Economist") and never condescending to the readers.

The editors of "U.S. News" do a fabulous job of honesty. Editor-In-Chief Mortimer Zuckerman frequently closes the magazine with the last page. Always balanced, his commentary is always well reasoned and worth reading even when you disagree with him. (For a perfect example of balance look to his editorial on Clinton's autobiography, "Life in the Rearview Mirror", July 12, 2004.) Michael Barone is another columnist always worth reading. His political and social commentaries are both insightful and thought-provoking. I am looking forward to reading his new book. Finally, my favorite of the routine contributors is John Leo. Leo's column, "On Society" is the best analysis of America with both faults and greatness deftly dealt with in some of the most beautiful prose ever written in an editorial column. I can't tell you how many of Leo's columns I have cut out, saved, and re-read over the years. He is a truly inspired thinker and writer.

Certainly there are faults in any magazine with the breadth and depth of coverage that "U.S. News" has, but all the same, it is the one source of news about current events that I find trustworthy above all others.

Thank you John, Michael, Mort and all the rest who make "U.S. News" the premier news publication in the world today.

Clearly the best of some awful choices

In terms of news magazines US NEWS stands heads and shoulder above TIME and NEWSWEEK. The bad news is that takes very little effort.

In terms of ballance of its coverage it clearly is the best of the lot. Not Only does it have an incredibly even batch of opinion makers (Borger vs Leo), Zuckerman and Barone, but it is the easiest to read.

It doesn't pretend to be a cultural icon and doesn't give off the nausiating wave of self importance that the others do. What it does do is report and for the most part report fairly. It is not without tilt, but the tilt is doesn't overcome the reader and it frankly doesn't appear on a regular basis.

The hard news is hard news and the other features are usually not puff but of direct use to the avg person.

Once can't talk about this magazine without talking about the various annual issues rating HMO's Colleges etc. All are incredibly useful and even for a non subscriber worth the green.

The mini features such as Washington Whispers are fun and usually on target. The regular inclusion of a political cartoon per issue is a treat, and it seems to have a very complete debate in every letters column. And it's annual issue on religion is not condesending towards it.

Before I started this review I gave the magazine 3 stars. It finished with 4. I suspect that as you read this magazine it will grow on you as well.

Debunking NAFTA

I read Matthew Benjamins article on "The Issue Of Jobs"

The response from the people in his article was that they were blaming the NAFTA and it's fallout on Bush. What they failed to realize was that by touting a vote for Kerry, they are going back to the same Political party that started NAFTA back in the 90's in the first place.

Clinton's administration not Bush's was the one responsible for establishing and condoning NAFTA.

We are stuck with it so make lemonade out of a lemon from Clinton's mistake. We have a dynamic economy and when people lose their jobs, they should take the inituative and seek a career elsewhere. That is what makes this country so great... so stand up people and instead of blaming the wrong person (President Bush) make something of yourselves.