...in making their Gonzales messaging the conventional wisdom, I will travel back in time and vote for Ralph Nader.

Democrats cannot let the meme that Gonzales is just incompetent, that he went about this the wrong way, win the day. If they do, then they need to be replaced, wholesale. There are too many things to do, from the war to the environment and beyond, for us to hang our hopes on a party that can't win a boxing match with an armless dickhead.

Hats off to the realists. Yeltsin drove his nation into the toilet, just as Gorbi had set it up for a real future.

Special shout out to the right-wing, think-tank freaks who were shipped by the dozen to consult Yeltsin's goverment down the river.

...for backhanding Cheney, I can't take too much pleasure.

When it comes to Iraq, Reid straddles in typical Democratic fashion by trying to work two irreconcilable viewpoints at once.

He gets that the public has judged the war a mistake and that his party must denounce its planning and/or execution in order to preserve the base. But in the next step, Reid proves himself politically, not morally motivated by also taking the blame-Iraqis position. We’ve invested enough in Iraq, Reid claims – it’s time for Iraqis to get off the ball and take care of themselves.

This is a morally incoherent narrative. Take it for a spin yourselves: we started a war for the wrong reasons, and it unleashed a civil war that has just obliterated a modern, middle-class culture in irreparable ways -- "now clean it up yourselves, you thankless, lazy Iraqi bastards."

So sadly I can’t take this as evidence that Reid is courageous or tough or even direct; all it shows is that he (or his media handlers) knew his marching out this chuckle-worthy bust on Cheney would get picked up in all the right places.

Democrats are so easy to head-fake. Giuliani says Democrats will play defense and then watch the Democrats fall all over themselves to promise to kick more arab ass than anyone else. Then lo and behold, Democrats are on the GOP talking points and the debate is right where neo-cons/the oligarchy/you fill in the blank want it.

Right on, sister.

It’s so very depressing that at a time when leadership is needed – and such a little effort would go such a long way – that we get our current frontrunners. The viable candidates in the Democratic race are so feeble when it comes to defining values and priorities that, while rhetorically rich in anti-Bush indignation, all they can actually propose a variation on Bush.

What they say:

• Iraq was a mistake and troops should come home – but Bush sure as hell better twist the arms of the Iraqi government to privatize their oil
• Iraq has brought our moral reputation to new lows around the globe; but I’d be irresponsible not to consider bombing Iran – though I might not use nukes.
• It’s a shame about the Palestinians, but fuck ‘em.
• Bush is using fear to manipulate politics, which is why I say we have to secure every port tomorrow to protect against major terrorist attacks.
• Only a fool would interpret our failure in Iraq as a reason not to project American power around the globe.
• I will increase “defense” spending. (When was it last used for defense?)

Of course, some will argue that these positions have to be taken, now that Bush has so masterfully changed the discourse. Defenders of the front runners say that by imitating Bush on these issues it allows Democrats to push forward on positive agendas elsewhere.

Hmmm.

Well look at what they aren’t saying:

• I will repeal Bush’s tax cuts.
• I will sign Kyoto (or it’s next incarnation) and use US influence to make other natons sign.
• I will end billions in wasted defense spending and use some of that money for civilian purposes and the rest to increase soldier pay, benefits and useful training.
• I will dramatically increase federal funding of poor rural and inner-city schools.
• I will replace federally-insured school loans with direct loans and grants.
• I will regulate interest rates on consumer loans/credit cards (hell, Obama voted to kill and amendment to the as-good-as-passed bankruptcy bill that would have capped interest on credit cards at thirty percent. Thirty percent wasn’t enough for Obama!  Nice man of the people there; explains why he got a lot of bank money.)
• My healthcare goal is a single-payer system.
• I will ban automatic weapons
• I will restore habeas corpus
• I will renounce all the new powers Bush has claimed for himself
• I will close Guantanamo upon taking office
• etc.

  We’ve got a year and a half to go, and our democratic system has already filtered out anything but the most cosmetic of changes.

  USA! USA! USA!