Chait's mastery of politics and political issues, along with his clarity of thought, ensures that "Audacity" remains an essential starting point for those evaluating Obama's presidency.

Jonathan Chait is a political columnist for New York Magazine. Previously, he was a senior editor at the New Republic and has also written for the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Atlantic. He has been featured in the media frequently, including appearances on NPR, MSNBC, Fox News, CNN, HBO, The Colbert Report, Talk of the Nation, C-SPAN, Hardball, and in talk radio shows in every major city in America. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Over the course of eight years, Barack Obama has addressed a variety of...