Hugo's Gift Keeps on Selling

New book on Obama full of dubious claims: Jacob Weisberg

(NEWSER) - You can’t always believe what you read—especially if it’s written by Ron Suskind. The wide-ranging claims made in Confidence Men , his account of the Obama administration, are as dubious as ever, writes Jacob Weisberg in Slate . “Issues of accuracy, fairness, and integrity come up nearly every time Suskind publishes something.” Some specifics errors in this book: The Federal Reserve isn't a bureau but a board; Horatio Alger wasn't a character but an author; and the "centuries-old" gothic spires of Yale Law School were built in 1931. More»

And Simon Bolivar was a racist, it alleges

(NEWSER) - A new book is giving Argentina a new reason not to cry for Eva Peron: She helped a number of Nazis who fled Europe after World War II, and was rumored to have harbored treasures taken from their Jewish victims. The accusations come from The Politically Incorrect Guide to Latin America, a controversial new book that aims to dredge up dirt on the region’s most beloved leftist leaders, the Telegraph reports. Among those Peron allegedly helped: Adolf Eichmann and Josef Mengele. More»

New book spills about why the French first couple is late so often

(NEWSER) - Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy once kept a head of state waiting for a meeting, but they had a good excuse—they were having sex. The revelation about the French president and his ex-supermodel wife gets juicier, ABC News reports: It involves the Obamas. No, not like that! Bruni-Sarkozy "wanted to know if, like the Sarkozys, Michelle and the President had ever kept anyone waiting that way," Jonathan Alter of Newsweek writes in his new book, The Promise: President Obama, Year One. More»

Obama's vacation book list drives leaps in Amazon sales rankings

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s poll numbers are faltering, but his summer reading choices are getting rave reviews, Politico reports. A survey of the Amazon.com standings of the five books the White House announced he would take with him on his Martha’s Vineyard vacation show a drastic improvement in sales. If you’re doubtful about joining Obama’s Book Club, look at these numbers and follow the pack: More»

Taitz shares theories on Obama (he's gay), conspiracies, flu shots

(NEWSER) - President Obama or one of his operatives has tried to kill birther leader Orly Taitz many times—according to Taitz. The lawyer/dentist/real estate agent gives Gabriel Winant of Salon an earful of accusations, including:

• Obama may have had his gay lovers killed. Taitz says a few homosexuals from Obama’s church died under mysterious circumstances. “I don’t want to say that Obama did it. But those are the facts.”