If you live in an American swing state you may have received a copy of 'Obsession' in your Sunday paper. 'Obsession' isn't a perfume: it's a documentary about 'radical Islam's war against the West'. In the last two weeks of September, 28 million copies of the film were enclosed as an advertising supplement in 74 newspapers, including the New York Times and the Chronicle of Higher Education. 'The threat of Radical Islam is the most important issue facing us today,' the sleeve announces. 'It's our responsibility to ensure we can make an informed vote in November.' The Clarion Fund, the supplement's sponsor, doesn't explicitly endorse McCain, so as not to jeopardise its tax-exempt status, but the message is clear enough, and its circulation just happened to coincide with Obama's leap in the polls.

LRB 9 October 2008 | PDF Download