The myth of American exceptionalism  —  “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line,” W.E.B. Du Bois wrote in 1903 — and I will not quibble.  But the problem of the 21st century is the problem of culture, not just the infamous “culture of poverty” but what I would call the culture of smugness.

Todays Number  —  IBOPE Zogby Poll: Cain Now Second to Christie As Top Choice Of GOP Primary Voters  —  Only 9% choose Romney, but 31% believe he will be nominee  —  UTICA, NY - Herman Cain trails only Chris Christie as the top choice among Republican primary voters in the race for the 2012 Presidential nomination.

Bin Laden Sons Say U.S. Violated International Law  —  WASHINGTON — The adult sons of Osama bin Laden have lashed out at President Obama over their father's death, accusing the United States of violating its basic legal principles by killing an unarmed man, shooting his family members and disposing of his body in the sea.

The Associated Press's Case for Releasing the Bin Laden Photo  —  President Obama's decision to withhold the visual evidence of Osama bin Laden's death has created a fundamental disagreement between the White House and one of the largest journalism organizations in the world.