From the first part of your post -

"....and they underscore the reasons why it is so vital to express criticism of Obama when he deserves it."

"If those who want fundamental reform in these areas adopt the view that they will not criticize Barack Obama because to do so is to "help Republicans," or because he deserves more time, or because criticisms are unnecessary because we can trust in him to do the right thing, or because criticizing him is to "tear him down" or "create a circular firing squad" or "be a Naderite purist" or any of those other empty platitudes, then they are ceding the field to the very powerful factions who are going to fight vehemently against any changes."

"It's critical that Obama -- and the rest of the political establishment -- hear loud objections, not reverential silence, when he flirts with ideas like the ones he suggested on Sunday. This dynamic prevails with all political issues. Where political pressure comes only from one side, that is the side that wins -- period."

Thank you for posting exactly what I and I think many other liberals and progressives are thinking. These have been my thoughts precisely!!

Very well said!

Not sure if this has been raised, but Israel has engaged in collective punishment practices, for example house demolitions and deportations of relatives of terrorists. It's obviously not on the same level as killing people but the "deterrent" principle is the same.

See: http://www.btselem.org/english/Deportation/Deportation_to_Gaza.asp or

http://www.btselem.org/english/Punitive_Demolitions/20080703_Letter_to_Mazuz.asp

Worked so well they had to build a giant wall.

Personally, I would recommend Friedman travel to Gaza with Marty and Michael as his bodyguards and ask Palestinians if they feel like making nice with Israel now. Something tells me the problem in the Middle East is not a shortage of violence, but I'm no expert like Friedman.

Hear, hear, HEAR! Another excellent column by Mr Greenwald, this one should be emailed to every Obamaphile and Obamaniac (start with Obama Girl). I had my full of the stand he rightly denounces from reading the Huffington Post, and I'm even seeing it up here in Canuckistan. As the saying goes, there is nothing so uncommon as common sense and Glenn Greenwald is an exemplar of it.

Do you lemmings really believe you matter...Obama"s advisors reflect his script not the shallow musings of bloggers and cultural underdeveloped folks in the chatter class..

-- badnegro

Which is it, "cultural," or "underdeveloped?" Make up your mind.

according to al gore, election 2k if my memory seves me:

if call friendman :

a little sh*t,

that's a possible crime

If i kick him the cajones:

that's okay...

if freidman is a mentally il:

i am to respect him [in my civics class that means i don't murder him]

tho acording to kern county California:

if he is a constitutional idiot and court room imbecile,

i can jail him!

[john deans comments aside in his book: broken goverment]

if freidman deems me a threat he can w/o due cause continue the pentagoons "EM" assualts on my body?

nice to know imbeciles get all the airtime...supposably to get americans to think..

[okay there wa ethics classes and discussion about the various inqustions: calvins, luthers, popes, spanish, english, american et al in the 'good old days"]

barfs

but those royals are all the same to me, an anachronistic cluster of parasites.

jockey. His daughter, Tracy, who, fortunately for her did not inherit her Daddy's looks, lives in Ireland and does broadcastin work on horse-racing and rugby football.

Now, London Lad, how can you put up with living in a country reeking with hypocrisy such as England? Your Prince Harry calls a much older man "Sooty" because the man (a polo manager?) seems to be of Indian origin. I burst out laughing with shock, but not awe, when I heard the latest about the gauche (French, I'm afraid) princeling who got one GCSE of all the subjects available to him in the history of art; even in that one achievement there were the bones of a court case, the litigation that you associate with America. Harry was said to have cheated and passed off his teacher's input as his own. Result of court case: Harry was completely innocent, naturally enough and teacher left the stage with what can be reckoned to be a considerable amount of dosh, discreetly delivered you can be sure. Next step: Harry, being definitely officer material, is a cadet at Sandhurst, his application having been approved solely on merit, of course. Now the royal lackeys and crawlers are out in force telling anyone who'll listen that the dusky-skinned man called "Sooty" by Harry actually loves that name and that it's a term of affection! Well, yes, if you're a black cat. The English learned to play polo from the Indians of the highest caste but Harry, despite all or because of all that Hanoverian blood, still thinks it's a merry jape to refer to a person's colour even though his own over-red, florid complexion is nothing to write home about. London Lad, I don't think you British are getting good value for your money in the collection of royal clowns to which you're always tugging your forelock.

If Harry's antics weren't enough to show you in a bad light, the news that two immigration officers had been suspended because of their membership of the BNP added to the aura of utter hypocrisy. For the Americans who can't be expected to know this, the British National Party is actually able to put up candidates for election and membership is legal, except if you're in the police, the immigeation service and a third category which I can't remember right now. A list of BNP members was posted on the Internet which has caused all sorts of huffing and puffing, hissing and spitting. So now you have a situation in which a prince of the realm thinks that "paki", "raghead" and "sooty" are terms of endearment when he uses them about his social inferiors and two of the plebs get into trouble for belonging to a political party which, though unpleasant in attitude is still a legally-recognised party.

OK now, London Lad?