Responding to a question from Smerconish, Obama said, "The press got excited and some folks on the left got a little excited" when the administration last weekend made statements indicating that a federally run health insurance option was just one of several alternatives.
Can we SFU about "the left" or maybe the "left of the left" as if they are just a bunch of irrational* crying babies, or something? A quarter of the Democratic Caucus in the House signed a pledge drawing the line in the sand on the public option. Why? Because people knew they were being screwed. Now, "reasonable" sorts are saying (oh how unfortunate) they have to settle. It's sad and all, but reform is sooooo hard, especially when these people are "the principal voice" in the debate. Don't "the left" understand? Can't they be more like "centrists" like Baucus?
There are other things to bear. Glenn Greenwald and others can tell you about the secrecy and limited rights of detainees. Luckily, we have a judicial branch that "second guesses," so there is some pushback there. But, we still have him saying things like this, underlining why I opposed his "don't worry, I'm not a peacenik, look at my Afghanistan policy!" platform last year. The recent past had this, reminding us of this:
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
Politics is the art of the possible and pressuring those in power that more is possible. OTOH, we were sort of misled to expect (hope for) "audacity," when what we get is a lot less. "Sir, can I have more?" Or, perhaps, we are meant to settle?
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* This is the path to insanity. After the cows are out of the barn, perhaps, it is admitted that yeah, there was a risk of escape. BTW, sure, everyone knew that. Yawn.