The Irony of American History

"[Niebuhr] is one of my favorite philosophers. I take away [from his works] the compelling idea that there's serious evil in the world, and hardship and pain. And we should be humble and modest in our belief we can eliminate those things. But we shouldn't use that as an excuse for cynicism and inaction. I take away...the sense we have to make these efforts knowing they are hard." - Senator Barack Obama "The supreme American theologian of the twentieth century." - Arthur Schlesinger Jr., New York Times "Niebuhr is important for the left today precisely because he warned about America's tendency - including the left's tendency - to do bad things in the name of idealism. His thought offers a much better understanding of where the Bush administration went wrong in Iraq." - Kevin Mattson, The Good Society "Irony provides the master key to understanding the myths and delusions that underpin American statecraft.... The most important book ever written on U.S. foreign policy." - Andrew J. Bacevich, from the Introduction"