Talk about the time needed to make a turnaround, or the fact that all hope is not yet lost, makes perfect sense, perhaps, if your an American affected by U.S. policy and governmental action.

However, if you're Iraqi, time and hope are in short supply.

If only the machinations of American politics affected Americans. Then the rest of the world could sit on the sidelines and cheer you on in your internal struggles, giving encouragement and good cheer.

However, the reality is that unless the U.S. government makes a U-turn in the middle east - and the sooner, the better - time and hope are not worth discussing in the same breath as the fate of the Afghani, Iraqi and Iranian peoples (to name the most obvious).

Hell, in the context of which I speak, pessimism is a uniquely American luxury.

My take on what Glenn has been writing isn't so much defeatism (All Is Lost), despite it's bleakness, but one of outrage (How dare they!).

Yes, the system of checks and balances is corrupt and broken, but that is not necessarily a permanent condition -- unless, of course, it goes completely unnoticed without the type of push-back being undertaken primarily in the progressive blogosphere. Still, the ultimate agent of change is not an individual politician, but the vote itself. While Congress didn't apparently get the message by the 2006 results, a continuing rejection of candidates who support the despicable Bush Administration policies in 2008 would be a more significant step. After all, the neocon takeover was years in the making.

Nonetheless, while it's frustrating to see Washington settle further into the morass, it didn't happen overnight and it won't be corrected quickly. It's going to take years of plodding persistance to root out the culture of corruption which has permeated our national affairs -- not just our political leaders, but the media elite which enables them -- and it's not going to be a pretty or joyful task. So if Glenn and like-minded others appear despairing, it may be just that attitude which is needed as impetus to address the ills which plague our nation.

O.T.: Sugarman sighting

For those still worried about his health an well-being, he's over on Tim Grieve's blog ... bashing Glenn. Surprise!

http://letters.salon.com/politics/war_room/2007/10/04/romney/permalink/c4f08180158c466ffe8387af2eb13f23.html

...and presumably others from here, and Glenn, again... over at Cary Tennis's site.

http://letters.salon.com/mwt/col/tenn/2007/10/04/christianity/permalink/c162ae666d900133f12af92cc3f9fb0a.html

I just wanted to add that I've felt this way essentially since the mid 80s. It was the second or third knock-off of some small country by Regan, and, as an Officer in the U.S. Navy, I could just not comprehend any motive outside of what you describe today--getting the public used to the idea of perpetual war fought for corporate as opposed to National interests. The key tip off to me was the use, or mis-use, of language to obfuscate and minimize all things awful/real and emphasize/inflate intangibles and politics. Yes, the Democrats are complicit!

Outside of a few years with slick Willy in the Oval Office, we have been on this trajectory for quite some time.

The spineless enablers of this administration will turn on it and tear it apart when they sense it's down for keeps. That's how it works.

And maybe the wall is already crumbling. When conservatives start attacking General Petraeus. When the House votes 389 to 30 to hold contractors criminally accountable. The first bricks? If so don't count on it being a pretty thing to watch. Not that I'll be feeling sorry for those crooks when they're finally lynched by the jellyfish they thought were their friends.

Thanks for bringing common sense and hope for those who seemed so down today. If we only question the motives and character of all politicians and M$M, we do them and ourselves a disservice. Everyone has a perspective and believes they are doing the right thing. Even Bush and Cheney believe in themselves and deny the damage and suffering they have caused because they have a blinders-on perspective, think in black and white and only talk to cult members. We on the left can be guilty of the same kind of thinking if we are not careful.

I have only been participating in blog discussion a short time compared to those who have been at it for a long time. I can see how that would wear on the psyche. I greatly admire those who have remained optimistic and keep talking more about solutions than those dirty so and so’s.

What strikes me is that all these bad things have been done to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and nothing has happened to individuals or anyone in the media or political sphere. So it seems understandable that this lawbreaking remains abstract. It also explains why the Administration is so intent on amnesty for the telcos, to get those cases out of court where we might learn about specific violations.

How you get from passivity to action escapes me. It would be useful for select members of Congress to stand up and articulate the problem clearly, loudly, and often. But how would they get media time? Russ Feingold is excellent but he never gets invited on to be a talking head on these issues. Basically, we need a way to go around timid Democratic leadership in the House and Senate, in a way that does not rely on one person or another but, rather, many people in Congress, all making the same points, all speaking in clear easy to understand terms.

I like Dodd's formulation of restoring the Constitution. But the media seems hell bent on giving us only the choice of Hillary, Obama, and John. It's a hard problem to solve.

I also saw a promo last night for a movie called Rendition. Movies are another great way to get the word out, to make real what has happened. It makes me wonder why Hollywood, if it is so filled with leftists, has not figured out how to tell a gripping story about torture, illegal spying, and all the rest. Surely they're not stupid?