Battle of the Books 2008, Round One: Willard vs. the Owl

With each Presidential election, there's typically a flurry of books by the candidates. Typically fluff, these books range from the breathtakingly uninteresting to the best-selling, if not genuinely interesting. Not all of the candidates have released books in the past year, but most have had at least one published in the past five. So here are your author-presidential candidates:

Republicans
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Rudy Giuliani, "Leadership"
Amazon.com Customer Review Average: 4/5 Stars
Rudy's book, acclaimed by many, shot to #1 on the New York Times best-seller list due to his fantastic role during 9/11. It is a recollection of his experiences on that day and a treatise on his leadership style. There hasn't been a resurgence of interest in the book, but Giuliani remains the most successful author on the GOP side of the field to date.

John McCain, "Worth the Fighting For"
Amazon.com Customer Review Average: 4.5/5 Stars
After finding a smash hit with Faith of My Fathers, even having it made into a TV movie (!), McCain and his aide Mark Saltzer released this not-quite-as-successful follow-up. Although not a flop, such as their collection of children's stories, Character is Destiny, McCain's autobiography didn't make a huge impact, not in the least due to the awkward timing -- late 2003 -- of the book's release.

Willard Romney,"Turnaround" - to be re-released June, 2007
Amazon.com Customer Review Average: 4/5 Stars
Romney banks on his experience managing the Winter Olympics in Utah (where else!) to persuade voters to support him. Although his management was undoubtedly superb, it is likely that little will be done through this to convince Romney skeptics -- such as myself -- that this should put to rest other issues, ie; flip-flopping.

Mike Huckabee, "From Hope to Higher Ground"
Amazon.com Customer Review Average: 4/5 Stars
Governor Huckabee's Obamaesque rip-off's appeal is hackneyed and trite. "With that small but powerfully inspiring word -- hope," he beckons his reader, America's greatness can be restored. Yawn. Huckabee knows where the meat is, though. He's just trying to appeal to the wrong side. It's the Democrats who like words more than action, Mr. Huckabee. Now please explain the rationale for your tax increases again.

Owl Gingrich, "Winning the Future"
Amazon.com Customer Review Average: 4/5 Stars
Perhaps the book on this list with the most substance, Newt's got a serious political agenda -- better than Huckabee's "Stop Being Cynical" and "Stop Being Selfish," anyway. If the Owl (in case you're wondering, he looks like one) weren't such a religionist, I'd be actively supporting him -- he's a very intelligent man. But for now, he sits on the sidelines, waiting for his strategic entry. This book will help you understand why his entry would be very exciting, indeed...

Next time: Books written by Hillary Clinton -- well, never mind, no point in posting a blank entry.