Originally Posted by politicophile

The chair of my college's government department told me yesterday that "Reflections on the Revolution in France" by Edmund Burke is the best tribute to conservatism you're likely to find anywhere. For a good statement of liberalism, I'd look for something by Louis Brandeis, who is probably the most articulate liberal of the 20th century.

I'm afraid more modern books on the subject will tend to be geared towards unfairly criticizing the other side while making little effort towards actually presenting the benefits of their side: Al Franken, Michael Moore, Ann Coulter, etc. are the worst choices you could make.