Entries for August 2008

The first version of America's Best Colleges appeared 25 years ago, in 1983. It was a poll of college officials and took up a few pages of the magazine. The 2009 version is a little more ambitious.

We've long said that the U.S. News college franchise is about a lot more than rankings. Who's No. 4 vs. No. 5 may be a life-and-death matter for some, but it's not all that important to us. What we like is the way we've been able to demystify colleges—some of the most mysterious and important institutions in the country. When we started the rankings, most schools didn't want to share crucial information like their admissions data. Now we're practically broadcasting live from the president's office. Or soon will be.

In the spring of 2007, George Bush was a president on the ropes. The war in Iraq was going badly, Congress considered him powerless, and the public had pretty much tossed in the towel on his ability to accomplish anything. Yet he had decided to double his bet on Iraq by sending in a "surge" of new troops, and, rather than compromising with a Congress that wanted to cut off funds for the war, he insisted on more.

In early May, we summed up the mood of an anxious Washington with a provocative cover story titled "Bush's Last Stand." Our veteran White House correspondent, Ken Walsh, walked readers through the immense challenges faced by the president and the criticisms of those who questioned his judgment. Through it all, Bush projected an almost eerie sense of calm. We pondered that and put a subhead on the cover: "Is He Resolute—or Delusional?"