A Theoretical Mapping of Waterboarding Blogs 2007

The goal of this research is to map processes of political idealization and how images are used and understood within the waterboarding blogs included in the case study. Chapter One is designed to provide basic information about the waterboarding issue and elements of this research more generally. The first chapter provides the following: information regarding the background facts of the waterboarding issue, research methods, research limitations, general descriptions of the blogs included in the case study, information about the general findings/data, and a brief explanation of why the blogs were chosen to be included in the case study.

Chapter Two maps how elements of political idealization operate in the waterboarding blog case study. The first section of this chapter outlines Wendy Brown's theories connected to the process of political idealization. The second section maps the process of political idealization within the context of the waterboarding blog case study. The second section is broken into three additional sub-sections each representing a stage in the political idealization process.

Chapter Three uses Aaron Barlow's outline of the emergence of the "Celebrity Journalist" as the premise to provide a partial explanation of why some political subjects are looking to virtual publics to supplement news media. The main purpose of Chapter Three is to map how images are used in the CODEPINK and Kaj Larsen video clip.