Michael Barone at U.S. News cites BFA as must read for fall

Barone certainly has delighted my man Neil Nyren of G.P. Putnam's Sons (editor-in-chief and publisher), but my PR man Michael Barson's probably pulling his hair out over the last line in Barone's citation. Read it and see what I mean:

* Thomas Barnett's Blueprint for Action: A Future Worth Creating. This is the PowerPoint guru's follow-up to The Pentagon's New Map, in which Barnett presents his recommendations for "A Department for What Lies Between War and Peace." Barnett argues that the military wasn't ready for peacekeeping in Iraq and that it has made mistakes. But, he goes on, "no public institution responds to failure better and more quickly than the U.S. military. And it has." This book will be widely read in the Pentagon, and should be widely read beyond. It's pre-order right now, but see if you can get (as I did) a reviewer copy.

See what I mean! Hey, you gotta like the enthusiasm, but let's get real Mr. Barone!

Seriously, having someone of his stature in your corner is a huge deal. People like him, Ignatius, Congressman Mac Thornberry--you get the picture. We're talking slightly right of center, serious thinkers. If I can't capture that, I have nothing.

PNM won that crowd over by its lack of squeamishness on defense. BFA needs to win over the slighty left of center with its idealism.

Then we've got the movement moving . . .

For the full text of Barone's piece, including his three other picks, go to here