America faces profound challenges overseas and at home. Politics in Washington is beset with recriminations over the Iraq War, charges of corruption and wrong doing, and large and growing budget deficits. Meanwhile, national security and domestic challenges remain daunting. Republican leaders are openly worrying about the coming mid-term elections and whether they can sustain a remarkable run of electoral victories. Democrats eagerly welcome the political opening but are struggling to find a common platform and consistent message. Thomas E. Mann, one the country's most visible and widely respected political analysts will sort through these political developments.

THOMAS E. MANN was director of Governmental Studies at The Brookings Institution from 1987 to 1999 and executor director of the American Political Science Association before that. He earned his B.A. in political science at the University of Florida and his M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. Mann has taught at a number of universities; conducted polls for congressional candidates; and worked as a consultant and adviser to a number of organizations and efforts to reform American government. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Mann is a recipient of the American Political Science Association's Frank J. Goodnow and Charles E. Merriam Awards, and has written a number of books on Congress, elections and polling, foreign policy, political reporting, campaign finance reform, and redistricting.  He is widely quoted and published in the popular media.

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