Economist , Feb. 7 (posted Saturday, Feb. 7) A cover editorial pegged to Tony Blair's U.S. visit argues that he and Bill Clinton are not as similar as they seem. While they share broad principles (fiscal responsibility, free trade, etc.) and political tactics (artful repackaging of conservative ideas), Blair is much more left-wing than Clinton (as Britain is much more left-wing than the United States). Blair has banned all handguns and favors Britain's national health-care system, policies that would be inconceivable for Clinton. ... A piece dampens enthusiasm about recent rises in Asia's stock markets: Asian economies are still in dire shape and governments are not doing nearly enough to restore fiscal stability. ... Also, a long survey on Central Asia. Conclusion: oil and chaos. New Republic , Feb. 23 (posted Friday, Feb. 6) The cover package reiterates TNR 's line that the United States should try to overthrow Saddam Hussein. One piece argues that anything short of toppling Saddam would be pointless: Iraq will be recalcitrant till he falls. (It also notes that Turkey and our Arab allies don't favor U.S. military intervention nearly as much as they did during the Gulf War: We'll have to go it alone.) Another article says the United States should not limit itself to a few days of bombing (the current battle plan): Only a long, insistent air campaign will persuade Saddam's troops to attempt a coup. ... A story mocks a right-wing, Clinton-hating group called Commission to Restore the Presidency to Greatness: One leading member predicted that Bill Clinton would announce that he was a woman ("Wilma Clinton") during a guest appearance on Ellen . New York Times Magazine , Feb. 8 (posted Thursday, Feb. 5) Would-be Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa is a pale imitation of his father, argues the cover profile. Hoffa fils shares his father's virulent anti-federal-government streak, but he lacks Dad's fire, organizing skill, and toughness. Hoffa will likely win the next Teamsters election, but the union is too weakened by corruption and too bullied by management and the feds to be the force it once was. ... A survey of suburban Americans finds they are tolerant of atheists, people of other races, working mothers--everyone but gays. Reason: They consider homosexuality an active choice. If they believed homosexuality was innate, they'd tolerate gays, too. ... A photo essay depicts Dzerzhinsk, Russia, the world's "least-habitable," most-polluted city. Once the center of Soviet chemical-weapons production, it has a reservoir of toxic waste called the "White Sea." Life expectancy for its 300,000 residents: 47 years for women, 42 years for men. Time and Newsweek , Feb. 9 (posted Tuesday, Feb. 3) Lewinsky, Week 2: Newsweek 's cover story is "The Secret Sex Wars"; Time's is Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr. Inside both magazines: maps of the connections in the alleged "right-wing conspiracy" against Clinton, profiles of Al Gore (steely-eyed in this time of crisis), and still more pop-psychologizing about Clinton's personality. Newsweek 's package tracks the "secret war" behind the scenes, where Clinton's staffers, lawyers, and private detectives labor to contain bimbo eruptions. It runs several new pictures of Lewinsky, including two that are embarrassingly revealing. An article says other nations might turn to Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin for stability while Clinton reels. Rubin is calm and confident. A piece argues that the media should stop reporting on the scandal because the public has spoken in favor of the president. Wag the Dog director Barry Levinson writes that his movie was just a joke but compares Hillary Clinton's allegation of a right-wing conspiracy to the distraction ploys found in the film. Time 's profile of Kenneth Starr depicts him as conservative, overzealous, and nerdy. In junior high, "his hobby was polishing shoes," says his mom. Time also wonders how the scandal will affect kids. From one 10-year-old pundit: "I would rather see happy news. About Leonardo DiCaprio." A Time rundown of how the scandal played across the world includes these words from a Thai government spokesman: "Great leaders are very good at sex: Cleopatra, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Mao Zedong. Clinton is also a capable leader, so it is normal for him to be very good at sex." ... Also in Time , an essay makes the case for human cloning. The risk is small, and cloning could benefit victims of Parkinson's disease, leukemia, and severe burns. U.S. News & World Report , Feb. 9 (posted Tuesday, Feb. 3) The cover package on the president's swift comeback asserts that a right-wing conspiracy does exist, though it is less monolithic than Hillary Clinton suggests. An essay claims the independent counsel wields too much power: Starr's current investigation is an unconstitutional invasion of privacy. Psychiatrist Peter Kramer ( Listening to Prozac ) says the same qualities that make Clinton a good politician (risk-taking, abundant energy, and narcissism) make him a likely womanizer. ... U.S. News finds a new marketing ploy for classical music: The Mediaeval Baebes perform Gregorian chants, wear flimsy garb, and chat about all things gothic. Just like the Spice Girls, each baebe has a nickname. (Our favorite: Dragon Baebe.) The New Yorker , Feb. 9 (posted Tuesday, Feb. 3) The Clintons' marriage is "stupefyingly weird" but founded on genuine passion, affection, and respect, argues a piece. She's not loyal for cold political reasons, she's loyal because she " 'literally decides that she believes him.' " ... The magazine publishes a reconstructed image of Kennewick Man, the 9,000-year-old Caucasoid skeleton found in Washington state. (He is evidence that Caucasians settled North America before American Indians.) Based on the clay model, Kennewick man looked like the actor Patrick Stewart. ... Karla Faye Tucker, the pickax murderer scheduled for execution today, is profiled. Once a drug-addled, vicious "Miss Tough Guy," she is now smart, sweet, good, and truly religious. (For more on the story, see what the international papers are saying.) Weekly Standard , Feb. 9 (posted Tuesday, Feb. 3) A 10-story, glee-filled cover package. (Cover headline: "Yow!"; cover image: Clinton as a centaur, cavorting with naked girls on the White House lawn.) A piece proposes Clinton's best-case "alternative narrative": He bonded with Lewinsky over her unhappy childhood and gave her career advice; she became obsessed with him and sent him gifts; he tried to help her while gradually pushing her away. The problem with the story: It's not credible, given Clinton's sexual history. ... Two weeks after U.S. News and Time gushed about "Clintonism," the Standard offers its own definition (pegged to the State of the Union): "Clintonism transforms your most parochial worries into matters of state," dealing with picayune issues rather than genuine ones. The Republican Party--"Clintonism lite"--is just as vapid. ... An article upbraids some conservatives for their anti-American foreign policy. Libertarians say America should stop wasting money on imperial power, and cultural conservatives say America should stop exporting its horrible values to the rest of the world. They're both wrong, says the Standard . The Nation , Feb. 16 (posted Tuesday, Feb. 3) The Nation shrugs about the scandal. General takes: 1) The sex was consensual. 2) Kenneth Starr is corrupt and ideological. 3) The punditocracy is ignoring the real story (Starr's Grand Inquisition) in favor of salacious sex. 4) Lewinsky is payback for Clinton's real sins--the destruction of social welfare and support for the death penalty. ... Ex-Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who wrote a piece in last week's New York Times Magazine about the need to renew America's social compact, writes a piece about the need to renew America's social compact. While America is prosperous, we should reduce inequality, strengthen public education, etc. --Seth Stevenson