"Weak," "wimp," "soft." This is a uniquely dangerous way to find oneself labeled when in a position where people are looking to you for leadership--just ask former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter. It is the reason the Right has used everything from national security to crime to welfare to define Democrats as such at least since the days when Joseph McCarthy referred to Harry S. Truman's patrician Secretary of State Dean Acheson--a defender of the right-wing ridiculed policy of containment--as "this pompous diplomat in striped pants, with the phony British accent."

I've got this great idea. Even though allowing GOPers who talked about "pulling the plug on grandma" to be a key part of health care negotiations ultimately stalled, worsened and almost derailed the bill, let's try the same thing on climate legislation.

How about making concessions on nuclear policy and offshore drilling without getting anything in return? Seriously, is there a single X chromosome among Obama, Gibbs, Emmanuel, Summers...?

That was rhetorical btw.

After the base was finally just a bit excited about the health care victory (even though it's a half-assed bill), the President has now renewed his triangulating posture and added environmentalists and non-foreign-policy Neo Cons--or sane people--to the growing list (women, gay rights advocates, African Americans, gun safety advocates, labor, campaign finance reform supporters, etc.) of those resting comfortably under Obama's own personal bus.

Glad the President loves bipartisanship so much. Come November 2010, because of the continued actions of his administration and Democrats in Congress, it won't just be a goal, but a necessity to get anything done...

So health care has passed, setting off rejoicing in some quarters and the hurling of racial epithets in others. We won't waste our time on the latter group, as what they say pretty much speaks for itself. But regarding the former, should we be rejoicing?

The premise of my first post here was that on balance I was for this health care bill and thought the subsidies, the ban on non-pre-existing-condition shopping when it comes to health insurance customers, etc made it worth it. My problems was then, and always has been, that had President Obama (when he had an 80% approval rating post-inauguration), his advisors, and some of the wimps on Capitol Hill (think Bayh) had more spine, we could have gotten much more.

As this is my first post, a hello would be in order. So hello. Thanks to SPK for allowing me to add my thoughts to this blog. Hopefully, it will be as cathartic for you as it is for me.

I have the benefit of being a DC insidery kinda guy, but also a progressive. One who has spent much of the last year outraged. Every time I want to like Obama, and get back aboard the train, he does something else to remind me of the moment we had, the once-in-a-generation chance after conservatism had been so discredited, with his majorities in Congress and the excitement that accampanied his election. What got me even more perturbed yesterday was when I read about his taking a trip out to Ohio, seemingly to pressure off-the-reservation Democrats from the right (Rep. Boccieri) and left (Kucinich) to vote for a health care bill that I support with great trepidation and regret, thinking what could have been.