Jesse Jackson Jr. is the Antichrist.

Or at least that's what Republicans and conservative Democrats will believe once they have read the fourth-term Illinois congressman's new book, A More Perfect Union. Jackson's lengthy manifesto calls for a mere eight new constitutional amendments, and his simple solution to almost every ill affecting the country is to let the federal government take control. Advocates of a smaller, more efficient national government (read: just about every elected official in Washington but Jackson) will either cringe or laugh at lines like these, which are liberally sprinkled throughout the text: "If we are to resolve these issues, bold federal action is essential," and, "Only the federal government has the resources and ability to meet the magnitude of this crisis."

A More Perfect Union could easily turn out to be a colossally naive act of political career suicide from an upstart neophyte congressman with a famous last name. However, its courageous, inclusive, progressive and compassionate proposals could just as easily serve as a blueprint for a new 21st-century American political landscape and earn Jackson power and position that his father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, could (and probably still does) only dream of.

While Jackson, 36, is not a historian -- he has a law degree, as well as a bachelor's in business management and a master's in theology -- A More Perfect Union is essentially a history book, focusing on two primary themes, race and states' rights. In the introduction of the book, which will be in stores in mid- to late September, Jackson writes that "A More Perfect Union seeks to trace the history of race in America, and to show how the philosophy and practice of states' rights still dominate our politics and prevents us from building a more perfect Union. I argue that we must attack the states' rights ideology -- and its close relative, localism -- head-on and dramatically modify our understanding of it if we are to achieve a more just and equitable society."

Those dramatic modifications include amending the U.S. Constitution to include "the rights to a decent job, comprehensive and universal health care, safe and affordable housing, a high-quality public education, equality for women, a safe and clean environment, and fair taxes." Without even the slightest hint of irony, Jackson describes his heady plan as "a second American Bill of Rights."

We recently visited the Democrat in his neat, nondescript offices south of Chicago to talk about A More Perfect Union, which he co-wrote with his press secretary Frank Watkins. Jackson arrived exactly on time and was affable and voluble, discussing topics ranging from the possible bomb his book will set off inside the Beltway to what kind of President his father would make to whether he himself aspires to the highest office in the land.