This article, like many blog comments, contains a fundamental distortion. It complains of wimpish (my word, not his) Democrats who are ignoring the mandate of the last election. The problem with that is that the Democrats who are enabling the administration were not elected by constituencies who support the progressive agenda, with a couple of notable exceptions like Diane Feinstein in the Senate. They are largely the blue dog Democrats. This is a split in the Democratic Party that preexisted the last election and survives it. The leadership of the party is powerless to do much of anything about that.

Jack: I agree w/ the gist of your post. Does this mean what the country really seeks is middle ground? Nancy Pelosi, et. al. were praised to no end ( and should be) for finding candidates that were electable. I'm wondering if in doing so, the "progressives" may have inadvertently sealed their own fate politically. Clinton saw the need to govern from the center. Nobody, in either party, has learned that lesson. Instead what we've had are two warring groups of mediocre, Boomer politicians toostubborn to compromise. That's what I think needs changing.

Your right about the individual democrats leaning more to the right - but civil liberties is an issue that I see no problem in trying to enforce a party-wide policy on. To me, its just too important. Republicans seem to be much better at getting their center to swing right. Apparently, most americans have no problem with this legislation. Who whoulda thunk it? Apparently not me.

Keef, I think it makes voting difficult. Gotta get rid of those folks while not losing control of the chamber.

As to changing, what form do you think it should take?

Jack:

Sorry it took a couple of days to get back to you.

The change I feel necessary is physical. We need fewer politicians of either party whose political ideologies were formed in the 60s.

This useless Iraq War is a perfect example of why. While comparisons to Vietnam certainly exist and are plentiful. These are the only comparisons being made. That is shallow thinking pure and simple.

And maybe I seem quaint, but the discourse in Congress lacks manners and respect.

David Broder (sp?) of the Washington Post wrote and interesting piece regarding the latter.