Glen, Great follow up article. Other Flip flop (moves to the center) were discussed on the Sunday shows today, but I ony heard a small mention of the FISA one. It appears that the MSM have decided this one just needs to go away. This is one of the most important issues for the congress to deal with. The 4th amendment is being treated like a minor give back to keep from being called names. There are times where we all must decide to do the right thing or the most prudent thing. Nancy Pelosi, Reid, Obama have all decided that it is better to do the prudent thing. They know they need to do this so they can get/stay elected and save a progressive America. If you can not get the stones to protect the 4th Amendment of the Constitution, just what important thing were you hoping to preserve. Maybe ethanol subsides. The leadership in our party is a disgrace. And now they have Obama playing along. I am waiting for the leadership suggest he go hunting or windsurfing.

I suppose they do not know any better

Besides, fer sure the NSA reads my stuff coming and going.

I stopped checking out books from my University long ago that had anything to do with OBL and company, "interrogation techniques," or critiques of the current admin. Sad, but true.

As for the pants-off award, today's award goes to those who say Bush will attack Iran.

If the poll that you copied in your latest comment is the particular poll that you were referring to in your previous message, you got the percentage of respondents to the category of "Other" wrong.

It wasn't 4%, it was 28%, making the unspecified "Other" the second highest category, after the "Economy/Jobs" (34%).

please, think before you speak, and read what I write

They are listing things in order of what people said. The lowest percentage reported for a single issue was 4%, which means every other issue got less than that.

Which is precisely what I said.

I find it kind of cheering that 28% of the public are so uncorraled by what their TV is telling them are "the issues", that they don't agree with any of the standard top five.

Has anyone seen quickstrategy lately?

I was disappointed to read Olbermann's comments on FISA and, even more, his patronizing dismissal of your analysis. While he is Too Important A Person--being on Television and all--to familiarize himself with you or your work, you have shown great diligence in reading everything related to this issue and in commenting on it brilliantly. My thanks.

While it is refreshing that Olbermann comes from a leftish point of view, he's still on Television, something that seems to corrupt everything it touches. He may be thinking that doing a stint as press secretary for Obama might get him that home in the Hamptons he's always wanted.

In any case, press on. You are the guy with three great books on my shelves.

--Karl

Perhaps it was an oversight in your column, but 4 of the newly elected Democratic senators in '06... Webb, McCaskill, Tester and Casey... won running as moderates in states that are also considered up for grabs in this general election. Cardin & Whitehouse won in states that are very blue (even though the latter beat Chafee, an anti-war Republican). Only Brown won running as a progressive populist in Ohio, which had a corrupt & scandal-ridden Republican party that couldn't win anything.

I'd love to see Obama run as a progressive, but we are not a liberal country and a good part of the electorate is not very bright. Many voters, including some of Hillary Clinton's primary supporters, see Obama as someone who's not really American enough and other nonsense. Considering how wisely he's run from jump, cut the man a little slack for moving to the center instead of bashing him so hard. FDR was excoriated by liberals for running as a centrist, so was JFK. Bill Clinton wouldn't have won running as a liberal. If they followed your advice, they probably wouldn't have made it to the White House. Yes, things are different in '08, but only slightly so. Obama is a pragmatist and winning is the name of the game. When you cite David Sirota as a source for winning elections, I cringe... because he feels anything even one millimeter to the right of his philosophy is wrong.

find it kind of cheering that 28% of the public are so uncorraled by what their TV is telling them are "the issues", that they don't agree with any of the standard top five.

especially that the ole debble "Terrorism" was not volunteered... perhaps the most cheering thing I've seen lately.

If you are landed gentry, your job interview or college app or club membership or client list or rollodex may be much more taken for granted than if you are poor, unconnected, and praying for a chance to prove you can please and hustle enough to stick around after you get in the door.

The silver spoons naturally bend toward preserving their heritage.

And the unconnected try to preserve their lucky break.

Silver feels entitlement.

Unconnected tries to alliance up to a softer survival.

Either one, or both could be good or ill in elected office.

It wasn't ancient American history when neither Red nor Blue had all the scoundrels or all the respected.

I appreciate GG being very patient and giving this post introductory course lecture.

I've thought for a while that Obama could and should tilt at FISA. Some quiet diplomacy might enlist more senate foes.

It can't be that Arlen Specter is the sole Republican Senator capable of seeing how imperiled the survival of indispenable law is here.

If i read and watched the regular Media more, i'd probably need a psychiatric hospitalization.

I haven't been able to endure it much since a few years after i left the newspaper business.

They produce a tremendous debility of perpetuate ignorance and skewed headline sabotage to the average citizen information pool.

I really don't trust or think in terms of liberal, left, center, right, conservative or any other misleading labels.

They are also a big part of knee jerked deception.

Of course, some percentage of every stripe is unclued in seeing behind the veil of politics, or the implications of legalizing criminality, or fraud, or treason, bribery, perjury, racism, torture, spin, paternalistic enslavement, election tampering, vote suppression and disenfranchisement, prosecutorial misconduct, or the past 7 years.

And, aside from FISA- though it's a big side, the housing bill seems very crucial to me.

With all the money spent down the holes of Haliburton/KBR/Blackwater/Bear Stearns/Savings & Loans (thanks Bush, thanks Cheney, thanks McCain,) you'd wonder why an average American couldn't somehow be rescued from losing their home; 8,400 every day!

Barak Obama could landslide home and bring lots of blue with him if he was real.

Wind, water, roads, bridges, dikes, reservoirs, fuels, peace, diplomacy, justice, money management, retooled industry and training projects are the easy platforms ready made for the election and victor's 1st term in office.

How could it be that 80 pct of Americans are agreed in opposition to the current White House agenda but the chosen champion nominee now thinks it's best TO BETRAY THE PROMISES WHICH GOT HIM NOMINATED?

He plays basketball.

So how could he not know?

All these issues, at least to a big majority of voters, are slam dunks.

My advice to the enjoyable Keith O: read this lecture, slow, before you rant.

My advice to the next President: be real, or we will carry on without you.