Japan continues to contend with the devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami, including radiation leaks from a damaged nuclear plant. Some global neighbors are sending aid. But tragedy can also be a vehicle for reflection or vitriol in American politics.

To find out more about the politics around tragedy, Eight Forty-Eight turned to historian Rick Perlstein. He is the author of Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America.

Music Button: Federico Aubele, "No One", from the CD Berlin 13, (ESL)