When did escalating the war in Afghanistan while starting a new one in Pakistan become "centrist?" Face it Joan, Obama is Bush's 3rd term.

Palin sure gets Joan Walsh's attention, as if we didn't already know. Hey Joan, how many innocent Afghanis did Obama kill today?

The left's hysteria over Palin says more about the left than it does about Palin. And finally, Joan Walsh is starting to get it. It's not about whether Palin's smart or well-read or agrees with the left's policy positions. It's about the ugliness of the left's reaction to her ever since her nomination for VP.

(title sez it all)

Subject says it all.

It's a smokescreen. He can't deliver on the issues he was elected on so he's picking a fight with the media.

It can only be jealousy. What else explains the obsession? It goes way beyond simple differences of policy or even personality.

The U.S. began with a tax revolt against a distant, arrogant government.

You tell me.

And reductions in Medicare. This is reform? How, exactly? Tell me how anyone gets health care from this.

The very best that can possibly come from this is that he'll find the spine to stand up to the warmongering generals on Afghanistan.

This is the same kind of deal. Obama's about to drive the country off a cliff in Afghanistan. I'm sure the next time we bomb a wedding party over there the people will feel peaceful.

Does nobody in power read the papers? The USSR tried the same thing in the 80's and walked out in humiliating defeat. At the time Afghanistan was called the Soviet Union's Vietnam. A few years later the Soviet Union went out of business. Does nobody know this? Is Obama this big a fool? Is he going to stand up to the generals? Not Obama. He's a conciliator, not a leader. He'll escalate. You watch.

No wait, that was Salon. Nevermind.

Nancy Pelosi sheds tears over the incivility in our national political dialog? That's hilarious. It was Pelosi who characterize those who disagree with her political ideas as un-American. That was and still is a dispicable slur on the legion of independents, such as myself; many of whom are strongly against the war(s) and who were sickened by the conduct of the Bush administration and who voted for Obama in the hope -- you know, the "Hope" we were promised -- that things would "Change."

Obama has now escalated the war in Afghanistan. A news story came out last week that we now have MORE people in Iraq than before, if you count the mercenaries. Obama has extended the provisions of the PATRIOT act. He is proposing to blow up the Federal budget, leading to a weakening of the dollar that will affect the living standard of every American for years to come.

Yet if I point these things out, and if I oppose them -- if I oppose the wars, the lying, the spying, the spending -- then I am un-American? And according to Joan Walsh and Jimmy Carter, I'm a racist too?

People will not stand for this level of political smearing, even from the left, who believe (quite falsely) that they have a monopoly on "caring." The left currently has a monopoly on hatemongering, smearing, and lying about their political opponents. And most of the country knows it.

Moderate Demss, anti-war Dems, and Obama-voting independents are sickened by Obama's escalation of the war in Afghanistan, his caving to the right in continuing to cover up Bush-era war crimes, his massive transfer of wealth from taxpayers to politically-connected bankers, his takeover of General Motors ... and that's BEFORE his total bungling of health care reform.

But in your worldview anyone who mentions these things is a racist. Shame on you.

You call it, "The war that won't end," as in the Nixonian, "Mistakes were made." That pesky war, it just won't end.

How about: The American public gave control of both houses of Congress to the Democrats in 2006, and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have been funding the wars and running the wars since then.

Now Obama is president and he wants to escalate the war in Afgahnistan; while news stories came out in the past couple of days pointing out that when you take account of paid mercenaries, U.S. forces in Iraq have INCREASED since the "drawdown."

Salon you are in denial. The Dems run the war and you won't call them on it. The wasr just won't end themselves, not with TWO political parties in favor of them.

Do you not get that the Dems lost the middle the day Pelosi called dissenters un-American? Do you not realize that the mainstream sees another 20,000 troops going to Afghanistan and wonders what the hell is going on? Are Dems so arrogant as to think that nobody's noticing Obama's lack of leadership and lack of direction?

Interesting development. Chaos doesn't work all that well, as it turns out.

That's the moment the Dems lost the initiative, lost the center, lost the independents, and lost pretty much every sane and rational person in the country.

Why are the Dems incapable of articulating their position? When it comes to demonizing anyone who dares to question them, the Dems took their cues from the Bush administration. "Dissent is treason" is all we've heard from the government across TWO successive administrations.

And you wonder why Obama lost the center?

I never heard the USSR accused of common decency.

Come Sundays in autumn I'll be watching the man play football. And Joan Walsh will still be obessing about Sarah Palin.