@Juliebird, who wrote:

@Joel Grwant

Close, it's Joel_Grant.

If you think "Permanent GOP Majority" is Thinking Big than I don't know what to say. But it's certainly not "country first."

I meant "thinking Big" as in beyond "what's in it for me?' Beyond "How can I bend the world to my will?' I meant thinking Big as in "I don't know what's coming next, but I'd like to be prepared. As in "I'd like to hear opinions from a variety of perspectives, and then work out the best course." And as in "I'd like to repair some of the damage from the last 8 years by putting people who are well-respected by our international allies in some key diplomatic positions."

But, whatever. Susan Rice and John Bolton are practically twins.

I see you missed the point entirely. I will try to say it in simpler words.

But first: your after-the-fact definitions of "thinking big" are nothing less than risible. Try again.

Your argument in support of the new "team" on the grounds that they are smart and have big plans and so on is simply fatuous.

Being smart and having plans says nothing whatsoever about the kind of goals those smart people seek to achieve. Do you think Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Condi Rice aren't smart?

In the case of Obama and his Cast of Retreads, we are dealing with a group of people who offer no evidence that they are going to seek to fundamentally change anything about American foreign policy, beyond not doing as miserable a job as their predecessors.

And when it comes to bars, there are none lower.

Which one of these big thinkers has pointed out that the invasion of Iraq was wrong, legally and morally, because the United States has no right to invade other sovereign countries, short of a genuine imminent threat or pursuant to an existing war?

Which one of these far-seeing seers has noticed that the USA spends more money on war and war-building than the rest of the world combined, and that it is time to re-think that choice?

You and the rest of the power-worshippers are free to gaze with adoring eyes upon Obama and Clinton and Bob Gates and the rest of the establishmentarians who are gearing up to continue the basic foreign policy direction of the past forty-plus years. Go ahead.

But please spare us the silly goo-goo eyes while you do it. One hates to cringe.

To people who know what they are talking about?

Perhaps there will be an electrifying moment in the second season, if there is one. This one sounds too good to miss.

Dylan is almost always a terrible interview, but have you read Paul Zollo's book "Songwriters on Songwriting"? Dylan, talking with a songwriter about songwriting is very un-Sphinxlike. A great interview.

I think Dylan would be superb on a format like this.

Admit it. That Tom Gjelten lacks sufficient critical reasoning ability could not be more counterintuitive or more obvious.

You would think someone in a job like that would be able to reason effectively, but Gjelten was obviously having a very tough time figuring out that his disagreement with the mysterious liberal bloggers was not relevant to objectively reporting their positions.

His laziness and sloppiness as a reporter are bad enough. That he could not figure out what Glenn was saying was astonishing.

It makes you wonder what else he has screwed up. And his "beat" is intelligence?

Amazing.