The Family by Jeff Sharlet

This is a scary book, because it traces the origin of all these right-wing power-hungry, Jesus-plus-nothing politicians (Domenici, Sanford, Ensign, Ashcroft, Inhofe, and the list goes on) right back to their source at the founding of the country. Sharlet does not believe they are really a "fringe" element, but a major force in American government, even though many of them operate largely behind the scenes. They really believe they have been chosen by God to reign over the the rest of us. They use the true-believers who are always uneducated and very fearful as pawns to consolidate their power. (See shouting mobs, townhall meetings). Also check out The Authoritarians by a Canadian psychologist and professor, whose research and book are available online without charge.