Radicalism and Conventional Politics

For any rational man seriously committed to the values of an authentic liberalism or liberal socialism, the present mood must be one of despair, and even agony. For the processes of American democracy have proved inadequate to the task of restraining our government from embarking on a course in Vietnam that is as barbaric as it is pointless. One might even claim that there has never been an occasion in American history when belief in the total corruption of American society, lack of faith in the promise of the American constitutional order, is more justified by events. And yet, there are deeply ironical aspects to the present crisis, analysis of which reveals paradox and some basis for optimism.

I point the irony by way of a text:...