A journalist takes a look at the corporate and political hypocrisy that is rampant in the United States, commenting on the corruption of media monopolies, the deceptions of the Bush administration, and corporate influence on government.

Nick Cutter--starting with nothing--crosses oceans and continents as he conquers the world's gambling and liquor markets, only to risk everything for the love of a woman. Luz had nightheat, the sensuous quality in a woman that makes men ache with desire. Nick loved and lusted for her the first time he saw her. But what he didn't know was that Luz had secrets--that beneath the glamour and sex appeal was a woman determined to turn her back on wealth and challenge a corrupt political system. Even if it meant her life. Nick started out dirt poor--as a child, he survived the war-torn frozen hell of the Siege of Leningrad and saw his mother starve to death as fat cat bureaucrats ate well. He learned early that there were the haves and have-nots in this world. He was going to get everything rich people had--and more. From a brutal Soviet orphanage to a plantation in the steamy jungles of the Caribbean, from sultry, violent Havana to the dangerous streets of Santo Domingo, Nick battled men who controlled and exploited the wealth of nations. With bootleg vodka and exotic rum, he built a business empire that would one day bring him into conflict with the most brutal dictator in the Caribbean--and a struggle for the love and life of the only woman he ever truly loved.

This selection of Michael Kinsley's trenchant editorial writing in Slate (and elsewhere) since 1995 covers the end of the Clinton era (Monica, impeachment, etc.) and two terms of George W. Bush (9/11, the War on Terror, Iraq, etc.). During this time Kinsley left Washington for Seattle and founded Slate, was opinion editor of the Los Angeles Times, underwent brain surgery for Parkinson's disease, and had other adventures that are reflected here. Although mostly about politics, there are articles and essays about other things, such as the future of newspapers, the existence of God, and why power women love Law and Order. This is the work of a writer at the top of his form. Kinsley's wit is a weapon that any talk-show host or elected blowhard should envy and fear, and the reader will cherish his sense of humor, which enlivens even the toughest subject matter.