Now that the Washington Post no longer practices journalism, it can eschew standard editorial practices, such as having its staff book critic review a new book, for wackier PR flourishes, like having one semi-famous Democrat and one semi-famous Republican each write very predictable reviews of an insanely polarizing Republican politician’s new book. Today, the Post’s “liberal” review of Going Rogue came from Ana Marie Cox, who “cannot claim to have completely read ‘Going Rogue,’” but still thought it sucked. It’s more than understandable. But the Weekly Standard’s priggish Matthew Continetti did read the book for his conservative review, which is brilliant beyond all measure. MORE »

Carol Herman, books editor for the Washington Times, recently commissioned herself to review the hottest new book since Going Rogue: the autobiography of great noble universal leader hero Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder and owner of the Washington Times! Coincidentally it is the best book Carol Herman has read, basically ever. And you can read it, too! Let us share a key excerpt or two from Carol Herman’s glowing review, with its very nuanced “Korean Central News Agency”-ish tone. MORE »

Lanny Davis was famous in 2008 for going on the teevee to defend his friends and clients, The Clintons, from the biases of the O-BOTS, and making a fool of himself. Once fired, he would go on Huffington Post or The Hill or Politico and write a column about how Obama was shameful and deserved no delegates because of Common Law. SO WHAT’S HE DOIN’ NOW? Oh just writing hilarious glowing reviews of his son’s book about basketball. It’s part of the Larry Bird-Magic Johnson-rivalry-as-culture-war athletic nonfiction subgenre that examines how white people hate black people and vice versa. MORE »

THIS IS A FINE READ: A tipster informed us earlier this week that he’d seen an advance copy of this Sunday’s New York Times Book Review riff on David Denby’s dumb book of lies. He referred to it as a “trashing.” Well the review is online now, and yes, it is very much a trashing: “And that, sir, is snark, society’s arch­enemy — making light fun of vulgar criminal robber barons who steal more in a month than Capone stole in a decade.” Thank god they gave it to Walter Kirn, who’s basically the best contributing critic for the Book Review and reads much like Anthony Lane, the good film critic for the New Yorker. [NYT]