Glenn,

When you write: "Until five weeks ago, I literally never heard anyone claim -- in either party -- that it was irrelevant who the President appointed to his Cabinet and other high-level positions" could you be more specific as to which blogs/news sources you are referring to?

I notice that a previous commenter had noted such a defense in a (recommended, but not front-paged) Kos diary. Was this what you were referring to?

The blogs I tend to read have been more of the cautiously optimistic bent, as far as Obama appointments go. Certainly, it's not right to describe anyone at the cabinet level as irrelevant.

I thought it was Glenn, too.

But your points are good. I mean...don't you just hate it when the printed word and the facts of history bite you in the ass?

I want Obama to be the new FDR. Is that too much to ask for?

Sorry, but you need to change your name, because it's going to lead to all sorts of inevitable confusion on the part of uncareful readers.

OK, will do. Didn't think it would go down that way.

I just don't understand why Obama is trying so hard to look like the typical Republican war monger.

The CIA and the 18 or 19 other "intellegence services" are amoung the most dangerous agencies in our government. Can Obama not understand that they must be cleaned up?

Thank You Glenn!

Concerning GreenGlenwald, a sense of humor would do you wonders.

You take yourself too seriously when you should not and you don't take yourself seriously when you should.

Most of the posters here are BONE STUPID and would be confused by just about anything from birth certificates to the author's name.

I am surprised they can use a computer.

It has nothing to do with humor.

It has to do with guys like me who become confused easily when the names are so close together.

After all, confusion was the whole point of his picking that name.

I was confused!

Glenn is correct Green. Me, the paradigm of the uncareful reader, read your post and thought that Glenn was referring to himself in the third person - a trait expressed in some public figures that always struck me as borderline schizophrenic.

A rumor is not a report. If Obama decides to retain Hayden, I think many of us will have reason to go to Washington DC on the day of the 20th of January, but not to celebrate.

First I'll C/P what i left in a Scherer thread

This represents a nice opportunity to kvetch about labelling in the first place. Opposing torture and demanding transparency and accountability are NOT leftist positions. The liberal blogosphere has represntatives with a wide variety of views and plenty of room for disagreement among them. What they don't have is patience for people who are willing to tell them what they are thinking or describe them in the third person without addressing who they are as individuals.

I personally don't care if Obama appoints any self-identified 'progressives' to his cabinet but if he doen't take a firm stand against rendition and torture and 'preemptive warfare' that targets innocents then I'm indeed going to be PO'ed.

Of course using association with marginal ideas as a lead weight to attach to good ideas in order to sink the whole package is an old right-wing tactic. It's disappointing to see the same tools being used by the center-left.

Not yet

A rumor is not a report.

Agreed. I said as much in the first paragraph (though I did call it a "report").

It's hard to believe this would happen -- but not impossible.

Dank Greens. Gang Green. Delete Green Ham and Eggs.

Scrabble Brown Eggs in Salad Greens. Use Green Teeth.

Truth. Goodness Sake. Be a protagonist. Smile. Cheese.

O Grin with a gold tooth. Eat limburger cheese. O Garlic.

Most of the posters here are BONE STUPID and would be confused by just about anything from birth certificates to the author's name.

-- something stinks

Are you so "Bone Stupid" that you are unaware that you've just called Glenn Greenwald -- along your idea of what constitutes "most of the posters here" -- "Bone Stupid"? After all, Glenn Greenwald expressed his disagreement with your 50 pages of 'birth certificate' bellowing.

Could there be a chance that some of these Eeeevil Dem traitors were, actually, moles or spies for the Dems? It would explain Lieberman nicely, wouldn't it? Oh well! Its nice to daydream.

First, by appearing to cave to their demands, Team Obama gave credence to the "bloggers." Then they installed (maybe) an even worse choice to the position. The bloggers are left to feel at once empowered and wondering if they should be careful what they wish for.[...] It's a slapdown. One need be careful when criticizing this administration. They view those that oppose them on the left as worse than a nuisance. -- eagler

Possibly. Although it's unlikely the incoming administration would saddle itself with appointees it didn't really want just in order to curb the "Leftist Bloggers".

In the event that they actual do take things as far as cutting off their nose to spite their face..... it's not as though there is no response to such a practice. I can't see that the political process has come to an end. The current crop of elected officials is not invulnerable, especially not the executive, especially not in this economic environment. As Mr. Hildebrand was so ready to point out, this is not the political/economic environment in which to be playing games.

It cuts both ways.

Hey! Where's that big old Bus everybody is throwing everybody else under when you need it?

Someone in the Obama gang needs to toss Hildebrand under "The Bus". Oh, and "SomethingStinks" too, while they're at it.

That is all.

Imagine the ultimate Repug (stealth) mole. You get the widest turnout and support for your candidate (on the other ticket) to rounding applause, hysteria and success.

It just turns out he's working for the other side. Maybe those compromises and backtracking weeks before the election weren't so exaggerated.