I can read you like a book...

I am a firm believer that you can tell a lot about a person by the books that they like to read. If you are an avid reader of Noam Chomsky I think it is safe to assume you lean to the left on the political spectrum, just as it seems logical to categorize the consummate reader of Bill O'Reilly or Rush Limbaugh as a right of center individual. So, coming from a (I think so) pretty center of the road kind of guy, here is a short list of recommended reading.

Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers is more than just a good story, the story of a soldier fighting for his planet against an aggressive race of bugs. But the nuts and bolts of what makes this story more political in nature is the lessons in Rico's History and Moral Philosophy. Heinlein raises such points as making it necessary to provide some sort of governmental service to be given full citizenship rights, including the right to vote. Only through sacrifice and personal service to the greater cause can you fully appreciate the responsibility of guiding this country. And he does have a point. In the 2000 Presidential race, only 70% of citizens were registered to vote, and of those only 86% voted! In the last Presidential race, 73% of veteran citizens cast ballots, compared with 63% of their non-veteran counterparts. It's a lesson taught to children at an early age: The things you earn you appreciate more than the things you were given.

1984
1984 is an overtly political book, but it doesn't cast a finger at any particular party or philosophy and has some very strong concepts. That people and history can be erased and changed at the will of the government is base completely on fact, and those who would beguile themselves into thinking it is impossible should review the track record of somebody like Stalin. It can happen, and if you think it doesn't happen today just take a hard look at China. All one needs to due is cut off normal lines of communication and information, and anything they don't like can be forgotten within years. The use of government power to monitor it's citizens and make them disappear at a moments notice never more than just a heartbeat away for most nations on the Earth, including the US.

Learning to Eat Soup With a Knife
The title comes from a quote by TE Lawrence in regards to how fighting an insurgency is as difficult and messy as eating soup with a knife. The wars and battles of the 21st Century will not be long, drawn out fights between large Armies, but short initial actions followed by Insurgency. This book compares what went wrong for the US in Vietnam to the more successful implementation of counter-insurgency by the British in Malaya.