I think a lot of people have taken Obama's anti-Iraq-War stance, which should be held by any rational person, peacenik or war-monger, and thought it meant that Obama was anti-war altogether. And though he may in fact be anti-war, he's not actually done anything to make anyone believe that.

The Nixonian rule for the GOP is: Run to the right to get the nomination, run to the center in the general election.

Obama, very much to his credit, made no such shifts and ran in the general election as a continuation of his primary campaign. Which, as you say, was pretty centrist.

In some ways, I'm disappointed: We don't need bipartisanship, we need to completely erase eight years of Bush/Cheney. In other ways, I'm enormously pleased: Post-partisan politics may be here.

Still, I hope everyone remembers that McCain/Palin continually "accused" Obama of being "the most liberal senator" and threw words like "socialist" at him. Obama won convincingly, not in spite of these charges, but because of the compliment.

Exactly! Thank you for the rather refreshing voice of reason and sanity. I also have been saying this all along, yet half of the progressive blogosphere seems to be up in arms over the supposed betrayal by Obama for doing exactly what he said he would do and being exactly who he has always been. I do have hopes that as a consequence of effective government, in itself a progressive rather than conservative value and institution, the American people will move leftward and even the centrist Obama is certainly far to the left of the grossly regressive Bush regime.

Perhaps this is a sign of my own ignorance, or the sheer one sided nature of political reporting, but who are these liberals that should be key parts of the Obama cabinet?

As you have highlighted Glenn, the change that Americans wanted and voted for is competent government. As a Canadian, I have a very different view of the purpose and performance of government than seems prevalent in the US. The biggest challenge facing your country is to undo the damage Reagan and W Bush have done to the perception and practice of responsible and competent government.

Perhaps this is a sign of my own ignorance, or the sheer one sided nature of political reporting, but who are these liberals that should be key parts of the Obama cabinet?

We could begin with people who actually voted against the Iraq War.

But Bushists have found their patsy: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27865780/

THE one that will fall on his sword to take the heat off all the others that deserve it more than he did.

Those poor banks and Wall Street... Misled by one man... We should feel sorry for them...

Watch the Obama administration take the bait and nothing change. Wall Street has the money to make kings...

Liberals are the Democrats' evangelicals. Nowhere is this more evident than among GLBT voters, who learned well before other liberals not to listen for unequivocal support from any candidate who really, really wanted to be president. Liberals are the dependable base, the ones who vote against the evils of the other side because our issues are vital to us and the best outcome we can hope for is a seat in the second or third tier. We hope to score the occasional crumb, and that the courts will shift just enough to allow us a few permanent victories along the way. The bitter pill is that we've been pulled hard right for the last 8 years, and this course correction isn't likely to bring us past the center. At least there's a better chance the dichotomies will break our way.

I think BHO plays a more subtle game than this right-left, progressive-conservative sport we've been stuck with for so long. Until quite recently, many thought of universal health care coverage as a strictly lefty, progressive thing. Same with opposition to the Iraq war.

The American people, it seems to me, moved away from the right towards a more progressive, more practical "center," and BHO rode this movement as much as led it. Cokie Roberts still thinks pro-choice is "left," even though a substantial majority favors it (and has for some time).

I don't read BHO as "progressive" or "liberal" or "centrtist" or frankly anywhere along the ideological spectrum that we've used as short-hand for so long that we seem to have forgotten what it ever stood for. Well, that plus the fact that an extreme faction arose in our nation which tried to yank the country to the most extreme views through intimidation and deception.

It's certainly wise to look at BHO's actions so far in the context of his campaign rhetoric: he promised pragmatic solutions, focus on the things we all agree on, de-emphasis of things where we seem unable to agree, a hatred of ignorance, stupidity, and the veneration of things that work. For the life of me, I can't characterize that as left or right, really. (I read it as left since I think of progressives as pragmatics; others, maybe most, disagree.)

I'm looking forward to holding BHO accountable to the nation's wishes, but I'm starting to hear a strain of discontent that he is not 100% lined up with some agenda. Well, no one is. But I still expect to see compelling results, just as we did in the two successful campaigns (and so far, successful transition effort) he's already run.

allowed themselves to be dragged by the rings in their noses by the Mainstream Media and pundits into the "BELIEVE, HOPE and CHANGE" hype of this typical fraudulent politician.

They would have been better off voting for McCain. Then they wouldn't have been so disappointed.

If they weren't so stupid they would have voted for Kucinich or voted for Nader, McKinney or Barr rather than vote for Kodos or Kang.

Yes, Obama let everyone know he was a fascist asshole, but the MSM and the pundits just painted him as NOT BUSH and McCain AS BUSH and the suckers fell for it.

I talked to alot of Obama supporters and they were all whackjobs with no grasp of the issues or what their candidate's position on the issues were. They just assumed that he would make everything alright. If I pointed something out to them about their candidate, they just got annoyed and irritated. They cared as much about the issues as your typical football fan does concerning their team.

The problem is that the educational system is not working and the nation has become dangerously stupid and careless. It will only get worse because the ecomony and the power structure depends on stupidity.

Stupidity precludes being aware of one's stupidity.

Enjoy the ride America! It is a one way ticket.