Guided by the belief that students must first understand how American government developed over more than two centuries to fully understand the issues facing the United States today, O'Connor/Sabato offers the strongest coverage of both history and current events of any college textbook devoted to American politics. This best-selling book provides the historical context students need to understand our government and the most crucial and controversial issues affecting the nation in the 21st century. American Government: Continuity and Change, has been extensively revised to provide the most in-depth and current coverage of the 2006 midterm elections, the second George W. Bush administration, the Iraq War, and increasing controversies related to the conduct of the war on terrorism, including renewed calls for additional congressional oversight of the Executive Branch. The new edition also emphasizes the extent to which shared American values shape and affect policy and influence key political conflicts.