November/December 1998

Cover Story The MoJo 400 WELCOME TO THE CIRCUS Big-tent politics gives way to sideshows.

Features

THE MOTHER JONES INTERVIEW: JOHN MCCAIN
by Jason Vest
The Senate's zealous reformer on Big Tobacco (very bad), campaign finance (pretty bad), and Rupert Murdoch's contributions to his campaign (not bad at all).

WIDE ANGLE Invisible communities.

THOSE WHO CAN'T, TEST
by Brian Doherty
Why the SAT fails everyone but the testers.

SECURITY MELTDOWN
by Ken Silverstein
Think our nukes are in the hands of the best and brightest? Think again.

The MoJo 400

WELCOME TO THE CIRCUS Big-tent politics gives way to sideshows.

TIP SHEET
by Jennifer Shecter
The ringleaders.

ROUGH CUTS
by Jennifer Liberto and Aaron Rothenburger
Outback Steakhouse skims employee paychecks to fund its heavyweight PAC.

THE MOTHER JONES 400 LIST
Plus: Profiles of the top 10 money givers.

NO. 1: TOUGH SELL
by John Zebrowski and Jenna Ziman
Amway doesn't just pitch products—it pitches politics.

HEAVY METAL
by Ken Silverstein
The revolving door between the Pentagon and defense industry boardrooms. Plus: Pentagon Promotion.

BANANA SPLIT
by John Fox and Nancy Firor
Enquiring minds want to know about the excesses of the Chiquita banana man.

MONEY MOVER
by Thomas Ferguson
Global capitalist Jon Corzine greases the political machinery for Goldman Sachs.

HOT TICKET
by Jenna Ziman
An intimate view of the presidential schmooze.

JACKPOT
by Peter H. Stone
Steve Wynn is not on the list. But he should be.

THE VISIBLE HAND
by Doug Henwood
The truth about socially responsible investing

WELL BEING
by Michael Castleman
Checking up on the FDA

NEXT DOOR
Diary by Heidi Li Feldman
My summer vacation in the armed forces

MEDIA JONES Top five moonlighting disasters; Will Oldham's media picks

OVERMATTER An inside look at Mother Jones

THE FUTURE OF ...
...Journalistic integrity
Cartoon by Don Asmussen

Departments

EDITOR'S NOTE Sugar-coated corruption

BACKTALK Dueling enviros; homeopathy hubbub; advertising flap

OUTFRONT
Silent Recall
Not Ready for Rushmore
The War Away From Home
Updates
December Hellraiser
Compaq's Clout

EXHIBIT
Isolation Tanks
Cause Celeb
Excess Utility: Product Placement
Logrolling in Our Times
Global Eye: You Are What You Don't Eat
Prison Keepsake

POWER PLAYS
by William Saletan
John Ashcroft's familiar charm

YOUR AD HERE
by G. Beato
Searching for perfect pitch