Where do they cook this stuff up anyway? Oh yes, the leftist candidate really should now of course, bow down and acknowledge his opponent's agenda, shouldn't he, having finally secured the nomination?!

As McSame tries to find new ways to capitulate from any previous chance opposition to the Bush Administration -- apparently R's are reading from a different strategy book and feel a move ever rightward from the primaries, is in order.

I think Obama is already centrist enough. As a liberal I'm sick of this weak false opposition, cop out too.

Anyway,

Again Thx.,

B.

Lot's of talk here of Obama moving to the center, etc. Tons of great thinkers and writers here!

When I lived in the states, I can reasonably suspect that I was to the left of about 85% of the voting population. In my adopted country, I estimate that am about 85% to the right of the voting population. The interesting thing is that my views on major issues have not changed at all. This came as quite a shock to me. Not only have I observed this in my adopted country, but I would place myself right of center in nearly every country I travel to.

My point is, "the center" in the USA has moved so far to the right that, well, the right is simply off the typical and measureable scale. Everything is realative I suppose, but there are too many of us who have not moved to the brink of the right edge.

I am not convinced that the majority of the USA population has moved as far right as the Democratic leadership and Obama believe. Fear, enjoyned in boogymen such as "the gays" & "terrorists" like Frank Rich of NYT points out are wearing very thin. People can only maintain a state of heightened fear for so long, and then, even if the fear continues, normalizes. Think of the last scary movie you saw....or the last time you cried. Humans can only sustain such emotions for only so long.

So here are the main Republican talking points remaining and IMHO where most citizens are:

1. Terrorisism:....Yea, we are all against it, so what?, old news, a done deal, we all go through airport security checks don't we?, so we are "safe". No terrorist has destroyed my Wallmart.

2. The War: What war? Most Americans have moved way on past, as it does not affect them in the least. No body bags, no parades for the returning soldiers, no draft. Hell, even the MSM has moved on. It bores people. Hollywood war movies are fine for 180 minutes, but the particular neuances of war are way to complicated to interest or comprehend for most Americans.

3. Same sex marrigae and "the gays": So what? Most Americans have a yawning interest. Even the "centrist" evangelicals are moving on. They realize that the gays have not infiltrated their marriages or affected them in the least. Their town halls were not over run by gays over the last 8 years, so they don't care.

4. Taxes and the economy: My taxes are about the same, but my buying power sucks. My house is worth less snd so is my annual salary. The rich are getting richer...What have the Republicans done for ME???

It is time for the body politic here to face up to its worst fears and embrace reality. Obama, as evidenced by his move to the far right this past week, is not a leader, nothing new or or unique, but merely another mediocre follower of comtemporary political strategy....and all that Rovian/Clintonian strategy is now very outdated. His campaign theme message WAS centrist, unfortunately, he is now tacking squarely into right territory, and to the far right on several issues such as FISA.

Obama has forsaken the center and the center left, once again to court the extreme right. He has already lost many as evidenced by the talk here. I expect, if he keeps it up, he will loose enough votes to ensure another Republican victory.

WHY, oh WHY? I suspect most of our civil liberties and the USA are on life support. Not sure how much more of an insult our constitution can take before it caves.

I realize this is going against conventional wisdom, but the ability to pardon someone who has not been convicted of a crime is a power that has been assumed by the president without any basis in the constitution. legal-explanations.com defines "pardon" as "the act of the highest authority in the government who rules the law and has power to forgive someone who has commited crime or have been convicted of the crime thereby, restoring the rights of that person and releasing him/her of the present sentence. Normally President of the country has such powers to pardon and once such pardon are granted the sentence is removed from the books as if it has never occured." If it has not been established that a crime has been committed, no one can be pardoned. This means that the President also has no right to declare amnesties, at least without an act of Congress, although such powers have been assumed, to good effect, by presidents since the time of Lincoln.

So, let Bush declare all the premature pardons he wants. It's about time this was tested in court.

As Gore Vidal put it so precisely, ""It makes no difference who you vote for - the two parties are really one party representing four percent of the people."

The American Sheeple rally behind Obama like he is somehow different than the rest, he not! Also as to your thoughts on Keith Olbermann he's what Tweety Bird called a Hypotwit. Keith is not a liberal but he does play one on TV. Keith is a Libertarian, i.e., a pot smoking Nazi. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against the pot smoking part, it's the other thing.

Glenn keep raising hell my friend we need another million journalists just like you!

Peace,

Ernest

Neither President McGovern nor President Mondale had to move to center or try to immunize themselves against the doubts raised by Republicans on national security. Nor for that matter did President Dukakis. This didn't stop them from getting elected and, as you analysis makes perfectly clear, there's no reason Senator Obama should not follow their lead.