"Thank you for your attempts at contributing to the discussion here.

I have only one question for you.

What the fuck is your problem?

-- Jebbie"

"think of the big picture

If you help elect John mccain, salon

By continuously attacking barack obama, think of the supreame court. With two liberals gone from the court, the gop will shove their fascsit agenda down our throut. they used to hate "activist judges". they used to hate the courts over rulings both other houses. That was before.

just like they used to hate pc police, before everyone was silenced for being "un-american". these people are fascsit hypocrites. If mccain wins and appoints young 40 something gop cronies as judges, you won't recognize america in 3 years. Say good bye to freedom and democracy. Their only hope of a "permanant gop majority" will be to do it trhough the courts. We've seen how they run the doj, now.

Thanks salon. By helping to elect mccain you are your own worst enemy.

You will have no one to complain to or blame when you enable the gop's hostile take-over of this nation, thourhg the court system. Justice is blind? You know it's nto now. In three years america does nto exist. thansk for all your hard work selling out all we fought for, for 6 months of spying. Sell-outs.

-- rufus11 "

Aside from shooter42, no one here is attacking Barack Obama. Most of us continue to be committed to voting for him.

We are directing our fire at the FISA abomination. If Obama insists on standing protectively in front of it, that's his decision. Frankly, we'd all love to see him get out of the line of fire.

Not of princes and prelates with periwigged charioteers

Riding triumphantly laureled to lap fat of the years,

Rather the scorned--the rejected--the men hemmed in with spears:

The men in tattered battalion which fights till it dies,

Dazed with the dust of battle, the din and the cries,

The men with broken heads and blood running into their eyes,

Not the be-medalled Commander, beloved of the throne,

Riding cock-horse to parade when the bugles blown,

But the lads who carried the hill and cannot be known.

Others may sing of the wine and the wealth and the mirth,

The portly presence of potentates goodly in girth;---

Mine be the dirt and the dross, the dust and scum of the earth!

Theirs be the music, the colour, the gold;

Mine be a handful of ashes, a mouthful of mould.

Of the maimed, of the halt and blind in the rain and the cold--

Of these shall my songs be fashioned, my tale be told. Amen.

I see you are a troll, stoogie. Every single one of you rposts is peanut gallerying other people's posts. I understand you can't think for yrouself and bottom feed. But why should I give a gop meat puppet any credibility? Or let you effect me. Post you. Stop trying to silence others, gop propogandists.

You got nothing, you show you got nothing. Who do you think you are?

Propogate on. you MUST comment on me. you can't think for yourself. Attack attack attack bottom feeder. But don't blame me for the coutnry people like you are creating. What have you republcains done right in 8 years? Seriously? Name one thing you've done right? And no terrorists attacks don't count. Bin laden and the sadui's are your buddies making a huge profit with your TREASON.

you hypocrites are insane. you think no one's paying attention to what your doing? you think america and the world doesn't see? We see you. After obama wins you traitor clowns profiting off america's downfall will go to prison wher eyou belong. Taking money to kill americans is treason. taking money from outside influces to destroy you country is treason. just because you fill the courts with gop cronies does not chang ethis. When the doj is back up you criminal traitors will e behind bars wher eyou belong. You will have no one to whine to or blame for yoru actions .Every criminal on the street has an excuse and someone to blame. Doesn't get them off the hook for their crimes. you fascsits republcians and leaders will be no differant. "if you do the crime, you must do the time" Once your cronie's in the doj are out you will have no one to protect you. You frickin nazi's

msg left for ben masel here:

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2008/6/30/04528/5208/247#c247

don't have time to read all the other comments (here or there), so it may be a repeat - but i thought it would be better to have multiples than risk none.

Great writing, as usual. What someone will likely explore one of these days is the psychological complex of the politician and the pundit. Both live in an artificial world of fakery, pretension to greatness, superficiality, and mutual reinforcement. Only the few strong ones can withstand the pressure to take a lower path. Russ Feingold is one rare example.

Another thing worth examining is what exactly is meant by "the center." The center of what? If the realm of politics is largely about sham, posturing, and bribery, then the "center" is some middle ground of balanced fakery, posturing about nothing in particular, and taking bribes from all sides and "interests."

Or maybe "the center" is somehow a bribe-free zone, taking money from no one, posturing about nothing, and having nothing to be fake about.

Not likely. Actually, "the center" is supposed to represent a balance between the political extremes of "left" and "right." This balance assumes that there actually is a "left" and "right."

There isn't. What is thought to be "the right" is a cluster of corporate criminals, religious zealots, and fanatics about various "issues" as gun ownership, abortion, gay marriage, flag burning, and various opportunists who feed on the delusions and money of the true believers. And I almost forgot, "the right" also consists of advocates of property rights above all others. That is, the rights of those who "own" property.

What is known as "the left," like "the right," is largely in the mind of the beholder. In its extreme, it is a cohort of identity and ideology, self-defined as not being "the right," and either openly or cryptically favoring some form of socialism. "Left" is also identified as advocating a variety of issues from voter rights, environmental protection, womens rights, labor advocacy, and racial equality.

These groupings are models of reality. They don't have any existence other than in people's minds. There is only a "center" if you believe the model of "left" and "right" exists. The model is no longer useful, and the sooner we leave it behind, the better. We are human. We have the ability to improve the way we think and perceive.

Or, we can continue on our not so merry way, yammering about "left," "right," and "center" while the planet becomes uninhabitable.