Water boarding. Hypothermia. Stress positions. Prolonged isolation. Sensory deprivation. These "clean" tortures leave deep psychological wounds but few physical scars-and they have been used for decades not only by dictatorships, but by democratic governments, including the United States. After 9/11,

emphasizes that U.S. foreign policy emanates from a culture of patriotic national identity. As the book derives from secondary sources, depends on theory for its essential arguments, and takes heed of the notion that the United States has functioned as

This blog is run by Rick Shenkman, the author of the new book, Just How Stupid Are We? Facing the Truth About the American Voter (Basic Books, June 2008). Mr. Shenkman, an Emmy award-winning investigative reporter, is an associate professor

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will go down in history as one of the most arrogant, inconsiderate, and - in the end, most incompetent secretaries of defense the US has had - at least since Robert MacNamara held the

A manned mission to Mars, if it happens, will be a dazzling event guaranteed to keep us glued to our televisions. But symbolism alone cannot carry the U.S. space program forward. One hundred years ago, Americans faced the same dilemma

Misunderstood, mocked, and maligned, the 39th president (1977-81) will forever be associated with the Iranian hostage crisis and the botched rescue attempt; the human rights-inspired Olympic boycott and grain embargo; inflation; the infamous rabbit attack; and, above all, skyrocketing fuel

I share Congressman John Lewis's belief that Barack Obama's selection as the Democratic standard bearer is a powerful reason to believe we are "in the process of laying down the burden of race." As a veteran of the Civil Rights

For Democrats to win in 2008 -- and for America to heal and to prosper Barack Obama needs to find his centrist voice, showing that he can bring a new tone to American politics, as well as creative, broad-based solutions