Dangerous Politics

It's a relatively slow Election Day this November. Without a presidential race or a major threat to either party, anyone looking for national news is stuck with the occasional race for governor or ballot measures on marijuana taxes and food labels. If you're looking for some excitement this month, turn your attention to the distant past, to the times when politics were much more troubled and bloody.

Even Edmund Burke seems interesting right now. Touted as the original conservative, he's known today mostly for his horrified and insightful reaction to the French Revolution. In this latest biography, British MP Jesse Norman valiantly attempts to make sense of a career politician, somehow finding a philosophy in a lifetime's worth of speeches, pamphlets and letters. It's a bit of a dry read, but also a pleasant introduction to political philosophy.

If you prefer something more lurid and sensational, there's always Cleopatra. Stacey Schiff's compelling biography sifts through the legends to find an intrepid queen who deftly ruled Egypt and manipulated Rome until she unfortunately found herself on the wrong side of history. Opponents turned her into the consort of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, but Schiff reminds us of just how powerful and intelligent a woman she really was.

Even after all that, if the Roman Empire isn't complicated enough for your tastes, you can still turn to The Borgias. This 15th century Italian family spawned two popes and enough rumors to fill a cable TV show. I'm sure that author G.J. Meyer would've loved to include all the tales of debauchery that have cropped up over the centuries, but alas, all he found was your average collection of vicious Italian politicians. Still, any dip into Renaissance politics results in a good deal of blood.

There's only so much room in one blog post, so if anyone has any other good books about politicians in times of danger, please let me know. The only thing better than tales of revolution, intrigue and betrayal is knowing they actually happened.