January 17, 2005

This issue featured Irwin M. Stelzer's analysis of the challenges and misconceptions surrounding Social Security reform, a central policy debate of the early Bush second term. The magazine also included Philip Nobile's critical examination of a controversial biography of Abraham Lincoln, questioning the book's historical accuracy and its claims about Lincoln's personal life. The cover prominently advertised Michael Crichton's bestselling novel State of Fear, which sparked intense debate over climate science and environmental activism.