November 1, 2008 | 1:51
pm
Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the
importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons
included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised
roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure
led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of
covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to
Laura Bush in 1999-2000. A veteran foreign and national correspondent,
Malcolm served on the Times Editorial Board and was a Pulitzer finalist
in 2004. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books and father of four.
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