Judging a Book By Its Title

by Conor Friedersdorf

Michael Moynihan takes aim at the overheated language on the cover of that new book by Markos Moulitsas, "American Taliban: How War, Sex, Sin, and Power Bind Jihadists and the Radical Right." And he rightly dings progressives who gave it cover blurbs, despite lamenting similarly idiotic language when it was used by blowhards on the right.

I understand the financial incentives that cause authors and publishing houses to choose these kinds of titles. But I don't know why...