But Krugman's larger point is correct: Republican groups demand from politicians support for their beliefs. By contrast, as Judis describes, Democratic groups -- including (perhaps especially) liberal activist groups -- now (with some exceptions) lend their allegiance to the party and its leader regardless of how faithful the party leadership is to their beliefs.

The Rethugs spent the last eight years in near complete lock-step for perhaps the worst president in history.

Perfect for Valentine's Day, one of the worst made-up "holidays" that plague the calendar.

Actually, no.

There are no standards at this time for "interpreting" your DNA. You can have three different "experts" analyze your genetic code and get three very different opinions on what it contains.

We are at least a decade away from having standardized DNA testing that means anything medically.

Nice state you can have it -- soylentgreenleftovers

I would be willing to bet that every state will be cutting both K-12 and university funding this year and the next. The U.S. military, however, may be receiving a $68.6 billion increase (total projected budget - $584 billion). Last year the federal government contributed only about $30 billion total for K-12 education.

As long as the U.S. continues to have this bloated ghoul on our backs, we'll never improve education or health care or come close to achieving energy independence.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090302/100_days

http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/10facts/index.html

The stimulus bill has $6 billion (not $8 billion) in loan guarantees for renewable energy and transmission projects, according to the House Appropriations Committee web site. And this pot of money cannot be used for nuclear or coal.

-- mirrorball

Fucking chump change, innit? The military is hoping to get a $68.6 billion dollar increase to it's already bloated $584 billion annual budget, which does not include Iraq of Afghanistan expenditures.

Obama has not been nor is unlikely to be as bold as he needs to be to really transform the country. The bar is set so low now and the country has moved so far into Stupidland after 8 years of right wing rule that even the most modest proposals seem radical to most Americans. Baby steps are not the order of the day.

. . . Atlantic laid so low. Other than Fallows, I can't think of another consistently thoughtful and honest writer working there.

. . . Israel has been over the line since 1967.

Israel went too far this time . . . -- DonMidwest

. . . make it useless as a fuel source at this point in human history.

Electricity generated by burning coal would still be cheaper, although not, of course, if the environmental costs are taken into account. ― Andrew Leonard

No more coal. Solar, wind and geothermal are our energy future. The sooner we dump coal (and petroleum) and concentrate on renewable energy sources, the better it will be for our economy and for the health of the planet.

Of course, getting the Chinese and Indians to sign on could prove impossible.

Coal isn't useless. It's been most peoples main source of heat and later electricity for over 100 years. Coal got us where we are today.

Unfortunately, it still is.

And none of us are going to continue to live our very privilaged (sic) life styles without it. We don't have a viable alternative to fossil fuels yet so we'll keep using them for a while.

We have three viable alternatives to fossil fuels - wind, solar and geothermal. However, we haven't spent 1/1 millionth on developing these that we have spent on consuming coal and oil in just the last decade. The entire southern tier of the U.S. and much of the west could be running on wind and solar in less than a decade if we wanted this and if there weren't so many coal and oil men so far up the exit end of the political digestive tracks in congress and state legislatures.

My only problem is with corporations and government administrations who stifle, belittle or impede those who are seeking those alternatives that we're all going to need in the future rather than helping develop them. -- IaintBacchus

The future is not even now, it was about two decades and two ME wars ago.

. . . made a bad film and has been working steadily for the last decade. (Okay. The remake of Shaggy Dog was ill considered.) On the other hand, Mickey Rourke's best film role was probably in Diner, made in 1982. Thereafter it was one bad role after another in stupid movies. Wild Orchid or 9-1/2 Weeks II anyone? How about Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man?

There is simply no comparing the two.

And critics are correct in saying that it includes things that have little or no relationship to economic stimulus - things that should have been left to later spending bills.

That being said, much of what we need to move are nation and economy forward in this century (mass transit, alternative fuels, renewable energy sources) involve undertakings that would take anywhere from 18-months to three years to plan and execute. There are few "shovel ready" projects that will benefit the nation in the next six months.

Most important, nothing in the stimulus package will have the slightest effect on the financial crisis or the glut in the housing market. Until these things are fixed, nothing will happen.

Then there are the inherited wars in the ME.

But, guys like Emanuel are so enamored of the process that the results really don't matter to them. And in terms of understanding what's best for the country economically, Emanuel isn't fit to carry Krugman's briefcase.