I had a chance to stop in a B&N today. Before I could inquire, the man ahead of me asked about "Unfit for Command". He was given the company line, nervously stammered out by a sheepish clerk who seemed to change his tone midway through. The clerk said something about the CEO issuing a statement that demand had far outpaced supply and the publisher simply wasn't printing enough copies fast enough and no, he didn't know when or if more copies would be coming. The customer walked off in a huff, muttering something like 'It figures', and the clerk blushed. Another lady, off to the side stacking shelves, commented something to the clerk to the effect that it was trash and she hoped they never stocked anymore copies. She blushed and darted away when she saw me listening as I waited in line.
Naturally, there were copies aplenty of Clinton's book, Moore's books, and a wall of several other books trashing Bush. All prominently displayed near the entrance to the store, some in a special section called 'New Releases'. We did find, in the appropriate sections further back, but not in the 'New Releases', copies of books by Peggy Noonan, Ben Stein, Michelle Malkin and Laura Ingraham. At least 3 of these were new or recent releases, certainly as new as Clinton's or Moore's, but apparently undeserving of prominent display.
its an engineered "shortage", I am convinced of it. B&N and all the rest is hoping this demand bubble blows over, so they don't have stock in it right now when people want it, and hope people won't come back to get it after the hoopla blows over.