Actually, you vote for Barr over Obama, you have not only placed your imprametuer on this FISA legislation, but also on everything a conservative stacked Supreme Court will do to further evicerate the Constitution, (including for example their thus far unsuccessful attempts to tear usunder habeas, and for one conservative justice in one case, even for American citizens captured on US soil), not to mention unending foreign wars, and a further entrenchment of a Latin America style plutocracy in this country and attendant ramifications for the under class. Good luck with that.

If Obama is Willie Stark, how come Hillary was the one delivering stump speeches out of the back of a pick-up truck?

Brother. It's Hillary for this reason, that reason any reason, and by God don't let them be remotely consistent.

Let's face it, progressives lost their chance when Feingold (inexplicably) decided not to run. He was my horse, he was the best and only outside of possibly Gore worth backing. Not Dodd who clearly picked up on this issue by way of political opportunism. Not Edwards whose single term in office was marked by a voting record at diametric opposition to all of the positions he ran for President on two years later (see: what Feingold made of that). No, there was manifestly no Democrat in the field that remotely resembled Feingold as a person of conviction- there simply wasn't. Embarrassment of riches my left testicle.

And after all that, the fact that we have Obama now is, actually IMO, the best outcome we could've expected under the circumstances. The least offensive pile of merde of the festering putrefied mass of candidates we- the only side of the political spectrum bearing any remaining sanity- legitimately could choose from.

But of course, don't let that slow the dead end die hards out there- the true cult worshipers- the Hillary supporters, for whom it's about the ground breaking nature of a woman's candidacy, only not any woman but Hillary, or it's about the ability for a 60's radical gun control champion to rally the hillbillies from the back of a pick-up truck, or the progressive anti-amnesty, anti-illegal surveillance activist that essentially picked up on these issues after Obama went to her left. Who's really taking the cultish supersized gravity bong hits???

The Democratic Party is not a progressive party. Deal with it. Our efforts now need to be targeted at the electorate, and in support of candidates and media outlets that carry our message. The politicians and the power follow popular opinion. They do not shape it. In the meantime, voting third party or not at all in this year's election, or not making an effort to get a Democrat in office will only contribute to the destruction of everything we consider important. Subverting the constitution. Denying health care to the sick and the poor. War with Iran. A permanent plutocratic ruling class. A banana republic. If that's what you want, if that's what you want us to be, by all means don't vote for or help to elect Obama. At least you will be able to say that you earned your fate.

Glenn,

All due respect, it's probably not a waste of column inches to throw in a mention of the type of justices that McCain has promised to nominate to a soon to be having a number of vacancies Supreme Court- Clarence Thomas for one who held that indefinite detention of American citizens designated as illegal combatants, within US borders, and without any recourse to the judicial system was, "well within the President's war powers". Obama, not so much- more like Ginsberg and Stevens, i.e. those fighting to keep the constitution alive. If you are want to delude yourself into believing that this sentiment has a sufficiently high profile in your various post after Obama smashing post, just read your own comments threads and see if you can't keep a running count the number of commenters that echo that message- you won't need a piece of paper.

I also would say that you've made your point on this subject abundantly clear on a daily basis for two weeks now. So, while it may be a fair one, I find myself wondering what is being accomplished, (because it certainly can't be considered cathartic). Certainly I could see today's votes from a few days after the House vote, when it became clear that there was going to be no re-reversal from the Obama camp.

How about advancing a new objective, in addition to the inspired Act Blue effort to which I have given more than I probably can afford at the moment? What is the next positive/proactive step, given that this is done and dusted, to highlight? How can the 4th amendment be restored? Are there any other paths to bringing past lawbreaking activities to light even if that is all that is revealed?