I read Glenn's piece this morning and basically agreed. I was surprised to come back later (after work) to see people arguing about 'pragmatism' and 'ideology', as if the context of what Glenn wrote was at all ambiguous.

How about this?

'Ideology' is the beliefs that go into making policy choices.

'Pragmatism' has to do with the practical mechanics of implementing policy choices.

The apologists for Obama's personnel choices often cite the need to be able to implement Obama's "vision" (or ideology). In this version, Obama supplies the ideology and people like Rahm and Hillary are to Obama as a paintbrush is to a painter.

And lest you think I am parodying this argument, one of the Kos diarists made that precise analogy the other day. And it wound up as a highly recommended diary.

I believe that radical action, at least on the economic front, as being the new conservatism. We are at a state of affairs where time is critical. The credit system is heading rapidly into a deep freeze and we need to find a way to turn on the credit spigots.

"Pragamists" are not pragmatic these days. The argument in favor of putting the same old ruling class corporatists in charge fails on ideological and pragmatic grounds.

It is positively puke-inducing to see the blind Obama supporters falling all over themselves to justify their belief in Obama. "He is going to lead!" "Let's just trust this wonderful guy!"

And so on.

Situation = hopeless.

I basically held my nose to vote for Obama. I was going to vote third party until the selection of you-know-who as the Republican veep candidate. That was the very last straw.

But I never mistook Obama for a genuine liberal.

I was disgusted to learn that he wants a warmonger as S of S but what can you do?

Basically, the moderate Republican won. Take that as some small comfort, liberals.

She is a vicious, lying warmonger. This choice proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are not going to get a transformative presidency or foreign policy.

We will improve upon Bush/Cheney, but that is the lowest of the low bars. We are merely going back to the Establishment crap we have had to endure for decades.

We are not getting rid of the pernicious doctrine of American exceptionalism. We will just be a bit smarter following along.

This and other personnel choices have convinced me to finally pull the plug on the Dems. To hell with Barack and to hell with his stupid choice of S of S.

Seriously. Is it Joan Walsh? Someone else?

This is another in the (apparently) endless series of articles/interviews known as: let's find a smart person to say dumb things about god and/or religion.

So who keeps authorizing this crap?

Except for the deranged idiots who actually like Lieberman, the basic argument for kissing his ass and letting him continue to run the Homeland Security Committee for the benefit of his Repug friends is this: we want him voting for the Dems.

Logically, what that means is this: Lieberman does not put "country first." Lieberman puts Lieberman first. He will vote for the party that gives him the most power and goodies.

What a disgusting pile of crap he is.

His vote is not even needed. The spineless Dems seem to believe they need 60 votes to get anything done. Funny how the Repugs got whatever they wanted with fewer Senators in their caucus than the Dems will have, without Lieberman or Franken.

They could easily suspend Rule 22 and force the Repugs to actually filibuster. The Dems could actually fight for what they believe.

But it is easier to capitulate to the right wing at every turn.

Change you can believe in? Or change you have to believe to see?

This book sounds like Gladwell's other two books, not to mention his numerous articles.

I really never think about whether his central claims are right or wrong. I am not sure this could be objectively measured very easily.

Gladwell's writing is interesting. I learn what I learn and put it all in the hopper and try to make a little sense of life, the universe, and everything.

At what point will the 'plump as a manatee' right wingers be so discredited that they will just stop it with the lying crap? Count the votes. Find the winner. Deal with it.

What a bunch of whining babies.

at an ACLU Bill of Rights dinner here in Seattle. Romero seems more or less optimistic. For now. He is way more optimistic than I am.

Any improvement is goodness but I am skeptical that we will see a lot of positive change on the civil liberties front under Obama.

"Change" - not so much.

Obama is now kicking his supporters in the teeth. If he wants this horrific warmonger as his Secretary of State let's kiss all that lovey-dovey diplomacy stuff goodbye.

Disgusting news on a Friday.

They're going to get away with it.

I went to see it in the theater when it first came out. I was on a first date. She chose the movie.

I almost retched at the scene in the shower where they chainsaw the poor SOB. I looked at my date and she seemed to be disturbingly interested.

I said "I'm outta here", walked out, and never saw her again.

No, it wasn't Sarah Palin.