The Bradley Foundation released E Pluribus Unum:  The Bradley Project on American Nationl Identity earlier this month. 

From the press release:

The Bradley Project on America’s National Identity today released its Report, “E Pluribus Unum,”the product of a two-year study involving a number of our nation’s leading academics, public figures, journalists, educators and policy experts.  The report examines four aspects of American life crucial to American identity: historical memory, civic education, assimilation, and national security.

The project’s site links to a pdf of the report, and also contains background essays. 

Among the report’s recommendations:  “a renewed focus on the teaching of American History.”  I’m totally down with that.  Through education it becomes less likely that the concept of national identity will be misused.  Too often, racist and xenophobic organizations spout their own, largely created, conceptions of what America’s national identity is or should be.  Racially charged notions about what it means to be American recur almost cyclically in our history, usually tied to the economic conditions in the world.

The other side of the spectrum tends to say, “We are all immigrants,” while discounting the necessity for social assimilation.  Perhaps the Bradley report will be useful in finding a middle ground on the issue.  One popular historian seems to think that it might:

“This is the clearest, most powerful summons yet, TO ALL OF US, to restore the American story to its rightful, vital place in American life and in how we educate our children.  It couldn’t be more timely and important.”

– David McCullough
June 3, 2008

Since the Republican Party lost control of Congress in 2006, it was only a matter of time before proper oversight would yield some answers regarding the Bush Administration’s run up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.  The following AlterNet.org link is one of many (here’s another) that are presently circulating, inspired by the release of Phase II of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report about Bush’s use of pre-war intelligence.
From the June 6, 2008, AlterNet post:

“Let’s not sugarcoat it: This president is a liar. A shameless bold-face liar. And that is to our eternal shame.”

Harsh, but true. It is articles like this that provide me with at least some validation for having the arguments that I have had with close friends who maintain beliefs contrary to the facts laid out in the post, which are ones that I’ve long held.

…that this president betrayed the trust of the American people in a way no other president has done in my lifetime — not even Nixon.

I don’t expect that those with whom I’ve argued with will come around anytime soon, despite the evidence. It is not easy for anyone to admit that he or she is wrong. Particularly when the issue is of such magnitude. For now I must take solace in that articles like this one, and the links contained within it, will provide plenty of fodder for today’s historians to sort it all out for future generations.

Original Post came to Alternet.org by way of Jill Hussein C., Brilliant at Breakfast at 8:34 AM on June 6, 2008.