MEDIA LEAD SHEET/OCTOBER 29, 2007 ISSUE (on newsstands Monday, October 22). To book correspondents, contact Brenda Velez at 212-445-4078—Brenda.Velez@Newsweek.com—or LaVenia LaVelle at 212-445-4859—LaVenia.LaVelle@Newsweek.com. Articles are posted on www.Newsweek.com.
COVER: “The Most Dangerous Nation In the World Isn’t Iraq. It’s Pakistan.” (p. 26). South Asia Bureau Chief Ron Moreau and Senior Editor Michael Hirsh report on how the unstable nuclear state has become a safe haven for Taliban and Qaeda jihadists and what this means for the war on terror. In the years since the United States ran the Taliban’s leaders from Afghanistan, there have been a growing number of signs of resurgence and evidence that they have crossed the border into Pakistan where many now live and operate comfortably throughout the country. The most recent example of how bold jihadists have become occurred on October 18, when one or more suicide bombers set off twin explosions that killed at least 134 bystanders and police, and injured 450 others during a procession marking former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s return to Pakistan.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/57485
FAREED ZAKARIA: “Stalin, Mao and…Ahmadinejad?” (p. 35). Newsweek International Editor Fareed Zakaria writes that the American discussion about Iran has lost all connection to reality. “Here is the reality. Iran has an economy the size of Finland’s and an annual defense budget of around $4.8 billion. It has not invaded a country since the late 18th century…Israel and every Arab country (except Syria and Iraq) are quietly or actively allied against Iran. And yet we are to believe that Tehran is about to overturn the international system and replace it with an Islamo-fascist order? What planet are we on?” he writes.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/57346
THE MILITARY: “Haditha Unraveled” (p. 36). Deputy Washington Bureau Chief Dan Ephron reports that the case on the Haditha affair may be falling apart. In a 37-page report on the Haditha affair, written earlier this month and obtained by newsweek, Lt. Col. Paul Ware, who has the job of assessing how strong a case the prosecution has against Marines suspected of killing 24 civilians two years ago in western Iraq, tells the military lawyers their case is weak. Earlier this year prosecutors gave immunity to two of the shooters in exchange for their testimony. But Ware suggests in his report that prosecutors immunized the wrong guys. Both witnesses, he writes, “have very low credibility” and he believes their accounts will not hold up in a cross-examination.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/57349
POLITICS: “Papers? I Don’t See Any Papers.” (p. 37). Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff reports that while Hillary has cited her years of experience as First Lady as one of her prime qualifications to be president and has decried the Bush administration’s “stunning record of secrecy,” the lack of access to her White House papers is raising some concerns. Since the opening of the Clinton Library, barely one half of 1 percent of the 78 million pages of documents and 20 million e-mail messages at the facility are public, according to the National Archives. Bill Clinton has tried to cast blame for the backlog on the Bush White House. White House spokesman Scott Stanzel, however, tells newsweek the Bush administration has not blocked the release of any Clinton-era records, nor is it reviewing any.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/57351
FACING FACTS: “Obama: Go On Offense” (p. 39). Contributing Editor Ellis Cose writes that Democrats must do what Republicans have excelled at: appealing to people’s prejudices and hearts instead of their brains. “Just as many Republicans have relied on negative, latent racial appeals, Democrats should rely on positive, explicit racial appeals by evoking ideals like fairness, equality and common destiny,” he writes.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/57352
PSYCHOLOGY: “Inside Karen’s Crowded Mind” (p. 42). Reporter Anne Underwood reports on Dr. Richard Baer’s new book, “Switching Time,” which chronicles the remarkable medical journey of his patient, whom he calls Karen Overhill, who was diagnosed with multiple personality disorder. Overhill’s case sheds new light on the disorder. The book describes the challenges Baer faced as the 17 alter egos emerged and the process of persuading them to wipe out their individual identities by merging into one.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/57343
HEALTH: “Caution: Killing Germs May Be Hazardous To Your Health” (p. 44). Senior Editor Jerry Adler and Correspondent Jeneen Interlandi report that germs can actually be good for you and look at how the war on germs has made new strains of bacteria stronger and deadlier. The rise in the use of strong antibacterial soaps and gels contributed to the rise of fast-moving and tricky to diagnose superbugs such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which was responsible for almost 19,000 deaths in the United States in 2005.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/57368
“Thanks, But No Thanks” (p. 49). Reporter Anne Underwood reports that a growing number of doctors, medical schools and hospitals are refusing to accept giveaways from pharmaceutical companies. Each year pharmaceutical companies spend billions in marketing materials in order to get doctors to prescribe their products. Uncomfortable with this practice, some doctors have joined an organization called No Free Lunch, which asks doctors to take a pledge not to receive drug-company representatives.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/57342
INTERVIEW: “Foot-Dragger? No, a Fighter.” (p. 50). Rajendra Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore, has loudly campaigned for changes in environmental policies essentially putting an end to the scientific debate over global warming. He told Newsweek’s Fareed Zakaria that he is “optimistic” about the future. “The extent of awareness has increased over the last eight or nine months—ever since our reports started coming out. This gives me hope that maybe the tide is turning,” Pachauri says.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/57495
BOOMER FILES: “7,714 Movies, And Counting” (p. 52). Senior Editor David Ansen writes about his detailed diary in which he recorded every movie he has watched since he was 12—a diary that tells not only the story of his life, but the story of his generation. Through his reviews Ansen looks at how changes in attitudes among the Boomer generation were reflected in the movies. In addition to this column is a quiz on movies.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/57347
IDEAS: “‘Deliverance’ and Iraq” (p. 56). Middle East Regional Editor Christopher Dickey draws a comparison between the Bush administration and characters from the 1972 film. “I think Lewis [Medlock] is Vice President Dick Cheney’s closet fantasy of himself, and as such, a sort of model for the Bush administration as a whole,” Dickey writes. “And Ed [Gentry], he’s about the rest of us, just scared and trying to get by. And the river? That’s the war in Iraq.”
http://www.newsweek.com/id/53461
TIP SHEET: “When You Finally Go It Alone” (p. 60). Correspondent Linda Stern offers financial tips to twentysomethings living on their own for the first time. Some of the tips include Web sties that offer affordable health insurance policies, social-networking financial sites and budget trackers.
http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/tipsheet/archive/2007/10/20/when-you-finally-go-it-alone.aspx
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