<p>On February 1, 2016, the date of the Iowa Caucus, David Breskin began a project that would carry him through the American presidential election. An ex- journalist, Breskin set out to &ldquo;cover&rdquo; this most strange and historic election, under the pressure of a reporter&rsquo;s daily deadline, by writing one poem a day. He created a deliberately awkward, rollickingly restrictive form&mdash;seven beats per line, eleven lines per poem&mdash;and, noting our preference for the convenience of sound- bite news and junk-food polls over more nutritious fare, called them &ldquo;7-Elevens.&rdquo;</p><p>The result is <em>Campaign</em>, a fierce, prescient, oddly moving and scathingly funny book. No one is spared (not Ted, not Marco, not Carly; not Hillary nor Bernie nor The Donald; not the Pope nor Scalia nor even Jeb!) as Breskin shines a searching light on the hubris and folly of our would-be leaders. Yet he also captures what is fine about America and Americans, even under siege. &ldquo;Smashed glass of freedom, a toast / for this sad ballad country / that orphans its immigrants.&rdquo;</p><p><em>Campaign </em>is a record of the election unfolding in real time: its distractions and psychodramas laid bare; its bit-part players of single news cycles recycled; the silliness of its silly season skewered. All the while, the drumbeat of essential issues sounds throughout these seventy-seven beat poems, reminding us what was&mdash;and remains&mdash;at stake.</p>