Francis Wheen takes a hugely enjoyable sweep through the tangled thickets of superstition and gullibility in which modern man likes to ramble. He takes particular delight in reminding us how easily fools are parted from their money and how many of them there are.

No constitution is or can be perfectly symmetrical, what it can and must be is generally accepted as both fair and usable.

We criticize, copy, patronize, idolize and insult but we never doubt that the U.S. has a unique position in the history of human hopes.

We are also further than ever from equality of opportunity.

One of the unsung freedoms that go with a free press is the freedom not to read it.

I think it's a pity that in many people's minds constitutional reform and PR have come to mean much the same thing.

What the world needs now is more Americans. The U.S. is the first nation on earth deliberately dedicated to letting people choose what they want and giving them a chance to get it.