Of Course Obama is Progressive

Cass Sunstein explains Obama's pragmatism or if you're a cynic, you call them flip flops. 

TNR: IN the last few weeks, a number of people on the left have expressed disappointment with Barack Obama. Obama has said that the death penalty may be appropriate for child rape. He has applauded the Supreme Court's recognition of an individual right to own guns. He has voted for wiretapping reform that includes retroactive immunity for telephone companies. Having raised doubts about NAFTA during the primary, Obama recently said that he does not want to reopen negotiations unilaterally.

Perhaps because of Obama's strong and early opposition to the Iraq war, and because he has not been on the national scene long, some people on the left have projected their own views onto him. They think that his recent departures from left-wing orthodoxy are a form of flip-flopping or some kind of betrayal.

These objections miss the mark. Obama has not betrayed anyone. The real problem lies in the assumption, still widespread on both the left and the right, that Obama is a doctrinaire liberal whose positions can be deduced simply by asking what the left thinks.

Of course Obama is a progressive. From health care to assistance for low-income families to education to environmental protection, he emphasizes that Americans have duties to one another, and that government should be taking active steps to provide equal opportunity and to help those who need help. But, by nature, he is also an independent thinker, and he listens to all sides. One of his most distinctive features is that he is a minimalist, not in the sense that he always favors small steps (he doesn't), but because he prefers solutions that can be accepted by people with a wide variety of theoretical inclinations. read the rest.

Does McCain's POW Status Equal Good CIF?

Obama's press secretary Bill Burton answers some tough questions on McCain's POW insulation, FISA and offshore drilling.

It Was a War of Choice Obama Swinging in New Mexico

Obama comes out swinging at his town hall in Albuquerque.  

I mean swinging. You can hear it in his voice. He's stepping it up, tired of McCain and the republican nonsense.

On the "surge working," which McCain is still pushing, he said:  "That doesn't make you right for the strategic blunder you made at the outset." There was more but I'll post video when it's up.

He explained his "flip flop" on FISA. 

"I intend to get things done as president and by the way I intend to win the presidency." 

Sometimes we're going to have to compromise to get things done. He said it's a democracy not a monarchy. 

 

Torture and Fisa Not the Same

I avoid violence on TV or movies, so this blog, which includes a graphic photo, was somewhat shocking but Andrew Sullivan at the Atlantic makes his point. 

McCain Stiffs Media

WaPo: The reporters frantically fired up their cellular modems and logged on to CNN.com to catch the end of the press conference, unable to ask any questions. The handful of reporters there asked about the FISA terrorism bill, Iran and about McCain's pledge to balance the budget.

McCain's schedule for Wednesday included a note about a "gaggle" with the pool reporters, but nothing indicated a live press conference. The tactic was a first for the McCain campaign, which
basically shrugged when asked about it.

"He took a couple of questions at the end of the tour from the pool. This will happen occasionally," responded Jill Hazelbaker, the communications director for the campaign.