Thanks to you, Glenn, and Jane for keeping this issue in front of us.

Dodd's courage is indeed inspiring and hopeful. Made my first contribution to the Presidential campaign today. Very large for me, very small for Verizon. Now we hear that Reid is going to sandbag a respected senior member of his own party. Et tu, Brute?

Reid's duplicity is confounding and yet, somehow by now, unsurprising.

My guess on the reason there's no mainstream coverage: Tomorrow the news will focus on Reid's action and gloss over Dodd's hold as an "attempt" to thwart a bipartisan compromise bill. Dodd's hold will be yesterday's news, even though they didn't bother to report it yesterday. The discussion will focus on the "centrist, moderate, bipartisan, reasonable, and non-DFH very serious people" who are showing real leadership.

But don't flush that cc of the Constitution yet, Chris. We're not done.

I guess we need the opinion of a competent schrink to give us a definitive answer to the core question: Is Ron Paul a nut? That would not include Dr. Kraut....., whose casual, sophomoric, unprofessional public diagnoses of the public figures he disdains only serve to discredit and disgrace his former profession. And undermine his own nonexistant credibility.

But that's not really the point Glenn is making. Once again I agree with him.

Thanks, Glenn, for a great post on lemmings in the political and media spheres, and the dangerous, media-enforced narrow and shallow parameters of our public debate.

And thanks to William Timmerman, Joel Grant, and others who get it.

My candidate is back in the Senate making inspiring speeches defending the Constitution, which are largely ignored by the major candidates.

Hillary is a liberal hawk on FP, is solid on domestic policy, but is unlikely to take a strong stand on domestic spying, torture, and the evils of the imperial (unitary) Presidency.

Obama is vague on policy when he is not wooing the center-right independents with conservative talking points on social security, health care reform, and regulation of the financial industry.

Edward's prodding on poverty, the plight of the middle class, and the domination of our political process by moneyed interests has run its course. King maker?

And now the "first black President" is tarnishing his own legacy and dragging the Democratic primary race through the mud.

Oh, shit.

Bill Owen - calling Glenn naive is bizarre. Although he continues to write and post, indicating he hasn't given up hope entirely, his analysis is increasingly apocalyptic. And well documented, which is why we love him.

Relinquishing hope for the republic is wrenching. Forsaking personal hope is death.

Where they come together for me is in the icy fear I feel for what my children will face if they remain in this country. It makes me weep, and I think more often about Canada.

Canadian - I agree with you. Do you have room for those of us who need to hope,... who don't want preemptive war, murder and atrocities commited in our names, who still (naively?) want to believe in the rule of law?

Glenn's last two posts have convinced me that my third, and only remaining, choice is Obama. He's vague. He is naive if he really believes in the moderation and bipartisanship he sometimes preaches. And his parroting of right-wing talking points on domestic policy is unnerving. But he didn't support, or vote for the AUMF, Kyl-Lieberman, and the Military Commissions Act.

Hail Mary....

You all have made my day.

Glenn, I admire your ability to express hope and optimism despite your well-earned and -researched cynicism. You are our beacon. "Ideals are like the stars. We never reach them, but we set our course by them." - Somebody Famous

Scientician, thanks for mentioning my hero in this fight, Chris Dodd (sine qua non, or finger in the dike?), and for your other thoughts.

Tempus, yes, let's be careful about declaring "mission accomplished." But why not give our newly spined Democratic leadership a whole cookie? As I imagine Ondelette might say, "Don't hold back. They'll be happier and we'll feel better too." Maybe a fortune cookie with a message inside that says, "Enjoy. We're still watching."

Retired Military Patriot, if I had a military pension I could contribute as often as you do. Just not as knowledgeably or cogently. But I earned that 1-Y and I'm going to keep it.

Odelette, you have replaced Samantha Power as my heroine of the week. Your words inspire and speak to the highest and best within us all. But she still has the best nickname: Genocide Chick.

Jackaroyd, I am sending your four words to my Blue Dog Senator(er liebt der Lieberman wie kein anderMann), Ken Salazar. You define pithy (excuse my lisp).

Even if we only get to smile for one day, I plan to make the most of it. Hope you do too.

Ondelette,

Je suis desole.

Maybe Nancy Pelosi. This week only?

One of the invaluable things Glenn does is wake me up.

When the stupid stops burning, the hypocrisy fades to background, and criminality seems normal.

The stupid, hypocritical criminality of advocating the sanctity of life while cheerleading violent military hegemony, torture, and domestic social Darwinism is breathtaking. More than I can really digest.

But Glenn takes a tale told by an idiot, breaks it down, looks at the pieces, and gives it back in bite sized bits. Actionable bits.

Thanks, Glenn.