Provides analysis of how campaign finance and spending shaped the historic presidential and congressional races of 2008; latest in a series of volumes on the costs and trends of campaign finance published since 1960. - Provided by publisher

"Let's be honest, we've all expressed opinions about difficult hot-button issues without always thinking them through. With so much media spin, political polarization, and mistrust of institutions, it's hard to know how to think about these tough challenges, much less what to do about them. One...