Andrew Sullivan in the tank for the truth

[impik]

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/12/meep-meep.html#more



My own view is that 2009 has been an extraordinarily successful year for Obama. Since this is currently a minority view and will prompt a chorus of "In The Tank!", allow me to explain.

The substantive record is clear enough. Torture is ended, if Gitmo remains enormously difficult to close and rendition extremely hard to police. The unitary executive, claiming vast, dictatorial powers over American citizens, has been unwound. The legal inquiries that may well convict former Bush officials for war crimes are underway, and the trial of KSM will reveal the lawless sadism of the Cheney regime that did so much to sabotage our war on Jihadism. Military force against al Qaeda in Pakistan has been ratcheted up considerably, even at a civilian cost that remains morally troubling. The US has given notice that it intends to leave Afghanistan with a bang - a big surge, a shift in tactics, and a heavy batch of new troops. Iraq remains dodgy in the extreme, but at least March elections have been finally nailed down.

Domestically, the new president has rescued the banks in a bail-out that has come in at $200 billion under budget; the economy has shifted from a tailspin to stablilization and some prospect of job growth next year; the Dow is at 10,500 a level no one would have predicted this time last year. A stimulus package has helped undergird infrastructure and probably did more to advance non-carbon energy than anything that might have emerged from Copenhagen. Universal health insurance (with promised deficit reduction!) is imminent - a goal sought by Democrats (and Nixon) for decades, impossible under the centrist Clinton, but won finally by a black liberal president. More progress has been made in unraveling the war on drugs this past year than in living memory. The transformation of California into a state where pot is now more available than in Amsterdam is as remarkable as the fact that such new sanity has spread across the country and is at historic highs, so to speak, in the opinion polls. On civil rights, civil marriage came to the nation's capital city, which has a 60 percent black population. If that doesn't help reverse some of the gloom from Prop 8 and Maine, what would? And, yes, the unspeakable ban on HIV-positive foreigners was finally lifted, bringing the US back to the center of the global effort to fight AIDS as it should be.

Relations with Russia have improved immensely and may yield real gains in non-proliferation; Netanyahu has moved, however insincerely, toward a two-state solution; Iran's coup regime remains far more vulnerable than a year ago, paralyzed in its diplomacy, terrified of its own people and constantly shaken by the ongoing revolution; Pakistan launched a major offensive against al Qaeda and the Taliban in its border area; global opinion of the US has been transformed; the Cairo speech and the Nobel acceptance speech helped explain exactly what Obama's blend of ruthless realism for conflict-management truly means.

The Beltway cannot handle all this. And that's why they continue to jump on every micro-talking-point and forget vast forests for a few failing saplings.


But when you consider the magnitude of shifting from one conservative era to one in which government simply has to be deployed to tackle deep structural problems, the achievement is as significant as his election year.

I remain, in other words, extremely bullish on the guy. There is a huge amount to come - finding a way to bring down long-term debt, ensuring health insurance reform stays on track and reformed constantly to control costs, turning the corner on non-carbon energy, reforming entitlements, finding a new revenue stream like a VAT, preventing Israel from attacking Iran, preventing Iran's coup regime from going even roguer, withdrawing from an Iraq still teetering on new sectarian conflict, avoiding a second downturn, closing Gitmo for good, ending the gay ban in the military ... well, you get the picture.

Change of this magnitude is extremely hard. That it is also frustrating, inadequate, compromised, flawed, and beset with bribes and trade-offs does not, in my mind, undermine it. Obama told us it would be like this - and it is. And those who backed him last year would do better, to my mind, if they appreciated the difficulty of this task and the diligence and civility that Obama has displayed in executing it.

Yes, we have. And yes, we still are the ones we've been waiting for - if we still care enough to swallow purism and pride and show up for the less emotionally satisfying grind of real, practical, incremental reform.

[donco6]

1. You do know he's a Republican, right? n/t

[FrenchieCat]

10. I thought the idea was to lay down with Teabaggers

and join their populist movement.

I don't see the difference here,
except for the fact that this guy has been voting Democratic going on 6 years......
Teabaggers still hate Black People....
so I can live with the fact that he is a Republican....
Just like I'll accept the fact that Hamster is a racist ass PUMA.

[donco6]

12. And now, back to the point -

It's not surprising that a Republican would like Obama's work this year.

[closeupready]

27. Exactly. Palin loved that he's ramping up the war in Afghanistan.

Andrew Sullivan will switch back to shilling for the GOP in a heartbeat.

[BlueCaliDem]

78. And you believe her?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[closeupready]

80. Doesn't take much to get you going, does it?

:D :hi:

[Adelante]

48. Grover Norquist is our friend, Frenchie

Who knew? :shrug:

[BlueCaliDem]

79. You're right about Hamster. And to think I used to listen to this

person - up until she got all hissy-pit the moment Pres. Obama was a month in office.

I was actually shocked to see her rather scathing post at HP.

Now I'm reading things like she wanting to join up with the Tea-buggers and that's kind of turned me off to this so-called Progressive.

[Cha]

83. That's exactly the point.. "Marching With Teabaggers"

hamshers have no room to talk about any political party that points the success of our President.

Now hamsher is duetting with grover bathtub norquist in her ever expanding need for attention.

kucinich is also joining repukes to make his stupid grandstands.

[kayla9170]

88. LOL BURN.........

This is the BEST POST REPLY of the day!!!!! :yourock:

[kstewart33]

28. He renounced the Republican brand of conservatism some time ago.

Read his blog as I have, for years. The posters on this thread are awfully ignorant about Sullivan's views.

[apocalypsehow]

29. You do know he's not a U.S. citizen and is therefore not a member of any U.S. political party right?

On edit: removed unnecessary snark due to unexpected eruption of civility.

[donco6]

35. Yes, you're right. I knew his status as a non-citizen.

I should have said he supports most Republican ideals, including flat tax, anti-welfare, anti-health care, limited government, etc. etc. But he did endorse Kerry and says he endorsed Obama in some articles.

So, no, he cannot vote Republican. You're absolutely right.

[stopbush]

55. Sullivan is trying to become an American citizen.

From Wiki:

Sullivan was married on August 27, 2007 to his partner Aaron Tone in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Sullivan has often expressed his desire to become a U.S. citizen, but was barred for many years from applying for citizenship due to his HIV-positive status. However, following the statutory and administrative repeals of the HIV immigration ban in 2008 and 2009, respectively, Sullivan announced his intention to begin the process of becoming a permanent U.S. resident and citizen.

[apocalypsehow]

72. The HIV immigration ban was a nasty piece of work dreamed up by Jesse Helms, IIRC. Glad it got

repealed, and wish Sullivan the best of luck in making his citizenship dreams come true.

[apocalypsehow]

66. Damn...I'm sitting here about to fall out of my chair. An eruption of Civility! A polite reply!

Not a personal attack or a snarky comeback, just an explanation of why you put it the way you did with a concession that you probably would phrase it differently if you had it to do over.

That's the way debate and discussion is supposed to work, but, alas, all too rarely does on these forums.

I applaud your civility and intellectual honesty.

[donco6]

70. A doff of the hat to you. n/t

[KittyWampus]

42. You do know that Sullivan essentially recanted many of his positions, right? n/t

[donco6]

50. Not really.

He was never socially conservative - not even from the beginning of his writing. And he's still conservative on a lot of the biggest issues. I think he did backtrack some on Iraq. He's still limited government, anti-welfare, health care, low taxes, etc. etc.

[NJmaverick]

43. He voted for and supports President Obama (and voted for Kerry)

sort of puts a lot of Democrats to shame.

[donco6]

47. As was pointed out to me -

(with accusations of "liar liar pants on fire") Andrew cannot vote. He's not a citizen.

He still maintains his conservative status clearly on his blog. Yes he did endorse Kerry and I think Obama, too.

[NJmaverick]

53. Point taken

Sully did more than just endorse Obama he pushed hard for him.

[closeupready]

2. I wish people would stop posting to his Republican garbage.

n/t

[jonnyblitz]

3. they just can't get enough of Bareback Andy.

:puke:

[closeupready]

5. The same guy who helped foment popular hatred against

those who opposed invading Iraq, as "the Blame America First crowd", and slavishly worshipped every word GWB uttered.

:puke:

[Pisces]

11. What does his sex life have to do with his political opinion?? I swear I have to check

the header to make sure I am not on the Freeper website instead of Democratic Underground

[kstewart33]

22. Personal attacks seem to have become the meme for Obama haters here.

DUers taking the MO of the Freepers.

[apocalypsehow]

34. That, and stout defenses of Blackface has become the cool thing for the anti-Obama cretins flooding

the forum with their bilge.

Any second now I'm expecting members of that crowd to start ranting for the return of Minstrel Shows, or Amos n' Andy.

[jonnyblitz]

46. I didn't bring up his sex life, I just called him by a commonly

known knickname for him. I could have used his old aol handle 'MUSCLEGLUTES".

[stopbush]

49. Exactly. It's disgusting how posters at DU feel free to take jabs at gays and men's sex organs.

Check out the various discussions of the Nelson Compromise where many of our DU sisters think nothing of attacking their brothers with opposing opinions, often peppering their responses with phrases like "your tiny dick" etc.

Here, we have a supposedly liberal DUer taking knuckle-dragging swipes at Mr Sullivan's sexual identity.

Shameful. An apology is in order.

[Name removed]

Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[donco6]

65. I was going to point that out, but didn't want to steal your thunder.

He must not know the history of Sullivan's HIV positive status and advocacy of barebacking.

[stopbush]

71. Yep, you've got a purity test.

[QC]

85. My purity test: don't make a career of demonizing me while doing far worse things in private

than I ever dreamed of.

So unreasonable!

[dsc]

93. because he was a leader of the lynch clinton mob when he had his affair with Lewinski

so the fact he was at the very same time engaging in conduct which could have lead to the death of the person involved matters.

[Cha]

4. You don't like pro Obama articles..Sullivan voted for Kerry

and Obama.

[bigwillq]

6. So?

:shrug: And I am sure so did a few other slimeballs.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bigwillq]

32. Ah, no.

Thanks for your concern, though. Happy Holidays. :hi:

[closeupready]

9. You must be very young, or I very old, because I remember his writings from 2002 and 2003.

He was VERY pro-war and pro-Republican.

Is THAT someone you want us here to look to for moral authority?

[kstewart33]

18. Have you read him in the last few years?

He was an Obama booster from the get-go.
He apologized for being pro-war which is more than most did.

Get your facts straight.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

13. You mean the guy that championed the racist book the Bell Curve?

How Media Let The Bell Curve's Pseudo-Science Define the Agenda on Race

By Jim Naureckas

When the New Republic devoted almost an entire issue (10/31/94) to a debate with the authors of The Bell Curve, editor Andrew Sullivan justified the decision by writing, "The notion that there might be resilient ethnic differences in intelligence is not, we believe, an inherently racist belief."

In fact, the idea that some races are inherently inferior to others is the definition of racism. What the New Republic was saying--along with other media outlets that prominently and respectfully considered the thesis of Charles Murray and the late Richard Herrnstein's book--is that racism is a respectable intellectual position, and has a legitimate place in the national debate on race.

The Bell Curve was accorded attention totally disproportionate to the merits of the book or the novelty of its thesis. The book and its dubious claims set the agenda for discussions on such public affairs programs as Nightline (10/21/94), the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour (10/28/94), the McLaughlin Group (10/21/94), Charlie Rose (11/3/94, 11/4/94), Think Tank (10/14/94), PrimeTime Live (10/27/94) and All Things Considered (10/28/94).

In addition to the above-mentioned New Republic issue, the "controversy" made the covers of Newsweek (10/24/94) and the New York Times Magazine (10/9/94), took up nearly a full op-ed page in the Wall Street Journal (10/10/94), and garnered a near-rave review from the New York Times Book Review (10/16/94; Extra! Update, 12/94).

While many of these discussions included sharp criticisms of the book, media accounts showed a disturbing tendency to accept Murray and Herrnstein's premises and evidence even while debating their conclusions. "While Murray and Herrnstein base their findings on various surveys and extensive research, many of the conclusions they draw are fiercely disputed," declared Robert MacNeil (10/28/94). "You've written a long book," Ted Koppel told Murray (10/21/94). "I assume a great deal of work and research went into it. But the problem is your book has become a political football."

While Murray and Herrnstein were generally characterized as sober social scientists, their critics were sometimes identified with censorious political correctness: "Both Murray and Herrnstein have been called racists," wrote Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen (10/18/94). "Their findings, though, have been accepted by most others in their field, and it would be wrong--both intellectually and politically--to suppress them." Proclaimed Newsweek's Geoffrey Cowley (10/24/94): "As the shouting begins, it's worth noting that the science behind The Bell Curve is overwhelmingly mainstream."

Murray himself doesn't think that the research they relied on was so mainstream. "Some of the things we read to do this work, we literally hide when we're on planes and trains," Murray told the New York Times Magazine (10/9/94).

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1271

[FrenchieCat]

14. His garbage is better than those who think that Barack Obama is a commodity

that they own.

[donco6]

16. Heaven forbid he should actually do some of the things he promised.

I mean, why should we expect that? It's not like we OWN the guy! That privilege belongs to Big Pharma and Big Blue!

[closeupready]

23. Ha - +1,000,000.

Good one. :D

[girl gone mad]

38. So you're okay with racists as long as they support your cause?

[kstewart33]

15. Oh please. I read Sullivan regularly and he is no Republican.

He renounced the Republican brand of conservatism long ago. He's been after Palin for more than a year.

[donco6]

19. If he's changed parties, it's news to me.

I suppose I could have missed it, but I don't think so.

[kstewart33]

30. Read his blog.

[AllentownJake]

36. Does he still hate Social Security and Medicare, and oppose publicly funded healthcare?

Is he still calling himself a libertarian?

[closeupready]

37. Oh, 'libertarian' is so 2008.

:sarcasm:

[NJmaverick]

44. It's more supportive of Democrats than fake claims of Obama being a liar

put out by the liberal blog sphere.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LastNaturalist]

8. Andrew Sullivan has become one of the best talking heads out there.

A big change from a decade ago. Major props to people who see the light, like Sullivan, Huffington, Specter, etc.

[kstewart33]

20. You bet. nt

[Hekate]

91. Agreed. From the campaign onward I've found him an intriguing and thought-provoking read. nt

[AllentownJake]

17. Yes the only thing Andrew Sullivan disagrees with the President is Gay Rights

and he's a neo-con thanks for confirming my suspicions.

[kstewart33]

21. Sullivan is not a neocon.

Geez, what is it with you guys?

Flames based on no facts whatsoever.

Have you read Sullivan?

[AllentownJake]

25. I've read his bio

and ideologically, he is someone I wouldn't want to partner with on much.

He's anti-choice, was pro-Iraq war, hates social security and Medicare, shall I continue.

The only thing that is remotely liberal is that he's gay and believes in gay marriage....shocking.

[kstewart33]

26. Man, what bio did you read? That is total nonsense.

Cite the bio. I'd surely like to read it. Or maybe all those posts of his that I've been reading for the last few years are, like, phony?

Doubt it.

[AllentownJake]

31. Enjoy!

Sullivan describes himself as a libertarian conservative who has argued that the Republican Party has abandoned true conservative principles.<15> He views true conservatism as classical libertarian conservative, where economic control of a citizen's daily life by the government is very limited. However, this style of conservatism differs from classic libertarianism in that some governmental control or regulation is acceptable in order to preserve a functional society as it currently exists. Stances on social or cultural issues, under this style of conservatism, resemble the stances of classical libertarianism or modern U.S. liberalism. While stances on foreign policy are more hawkish than classic libertarianism, this style of conservatism differs from current neo-conservatism and arguably more closely resembles U.S. liberalism from the early 1930s up until the late 1960s. In the foreign policy sphere, Sullivan's views have become somewhat less hawkish following the difficulties of the Iraq War.

Sullivan supported G.W. Bush in the 2000 election, calling Dick Cheney "sexy" on Real Time with Bill Maher.<16> In 2004, he gave a rather late endorsment to John Kerry, primarily as a vote against what he saw as severe problems with the Bush administration. In 2006, he supported the Democratic Party's takeover of Congress. His political philosophy includes a broad range of traditional conservative positions: He favors a flat tax, limited government, privatization of social security, and a strong military, and he opposes welfare state programs such as publicly-funded health care. However, on a number of controversial public issues, including same-sex marriage and capital punishment, he takes a position typically shared by those on the left of the U.S. political spectrum. His position on abortion is more mixed; saying that he personally finds it immoral and favors overturning Roe v. Wade, but he can accept legalized abortions in the first trimester. Sullivan endorsed Senator Barack Obama for the Democratic Nomination in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, and Rep. Ron Paul for the Republican nomination. On his blog, Sullivan has been highly favorable toward Obama, and has denounced McCain for running misleading campaign advertisements, and endorsed Obama for President on the eve of the election.<17>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Sullivan

Correction was a Neo-Con till Iraq was a disaster.

[stopbush]

39. His views have changed dramatically in the past few years.

You need to grow up and accept that fact that people can have an HONEST change of heart, as has Sullivan. Part of the political process is changing people's hearts and minds. A big part of winning elections is getting people from the other party to vote for your guy, even as they keep their party affiliation in the opposition. If you're going to shit on people like Sullivan, then you need to shit on people like Ariana Huffington and David Gergen and Arlen Specter and others who have seen the light and abandoned their RW pasts and ideology.

There's no stronger voice in politics than the voice of a convert. Yet, you'd throw such a voice away because you seem to have the inability to think like an adult in such situations.

Linear thinking, my friend.

[AllentownJake]

51. Is he still against publicly funded Healthcare, Medicare, and Social Security

If so i can understand his excitement this year.

[stopbush]

63. So what? Do you have a purity test to determine who is allowed to support D candidates?

[donco6]

68. Well, his stand on these issues would certainly impact his opinion-

of whether Obama's first year was a "good" one or not.

spelling

[AllentownJake]

75. When someone hates everything FDR and LBJ created

I have to really take a look at why they are happy with D candidate.

[skepticscott]

84. Sullivan may have realized

somewhat late in the game that his opinions on a lot of things were laughably wrong and that if he didn't change his spots, he'd have no credibility at all, but that doesn't mean that his judgment and ability to evaluate evidence dispassionately and critically with regard to future issues is any better than it ever was. Let's not forget that this is a gay male who supported both the Republican party and the Catholic church, two of the most rabidly anti-gay organizations anywhere. Sullivan snows a lot of people because he's a good writer, but he is not, and never has been, much of a thinker.

[QC]

86. +1

Well said.

[HuckleB]

33. This is a fair, logical assessment.

Yet, I think fair and logical can be difficult for those of us who wanted so much more. We forget just how much we've gotten. Heck, during the Bush years, many of the people now labeling Obama as "horrific" were pining for Clinton. It's interesting how quickly perspective can be lost.

Further, if someone disagrees with Sullivan, let's see an actual rebuttal. Pointing out his past "sins" (at least some of which he has acknowledged) does not rebut anything in this piece.

[jaysunb]

40. I'm beginning to be more than a little pissed

with the childish behavior of many so called liberals/progressives that visit DU.

It's just sickening to witness the naivety and or stupidity of those who find the need to bash any and everything that does not go their way fast enough. Lashing out at those who have seen the light and are honest about it in front of the entire world is simply reprehensible. (and very republican)

I guess the alternative (republican rule) would be more to some peoples liking, at least then they'd have an excuse for acting like spoiled children that are not getting their way.

This latest Sullivan piece is an excellent capture of the first year of the Obama presidency. I'm grateful that his and others will be widely read and appreciated by those that apply rationale and common sense to their everyday lives.

K&R !

[closeupready]

61. That you and so many others here blithely dismiss his former neocon sympathies

and pro-war columns really shows how desperate some of you are for someone, ANYONE to say something nice about Obama in the face of so much recent deserved criticism.

And then you have the nerve to sit on your high horse and claim you are getting more than a little pissed.

Who cares. You know what you can do with your anger.

[jaysunb]

67. Thanks for your thoughts

Best wishes for a great holiday season.

[closeupready]

73. You, too.

:)

[Bluenorthwest]

41. Sully called Dick Cheney 'sexy' during the Iraq invasion

for which he cheered unrelentingly, even speaking of using atomic weapons on them. He himself says he should never be forgiven for his grave errors. In addition he is the only journalist I can think of whose advice if followed is actually deadly.
So Sully and the truth have a touch and go relationship, a very Cheney is sexy, not he's not, yes he is sort of political mind.
Rare is the man who has been so wrong, with such passion, over such an important subject. Plus, he's a Republican, so that which pleases him sure don't please me. Funny it should please you. His being a pro Iraq, Dick Cheney is sexy sort of Republican and all.

[LastNaturalist]

45. And Howard Dean roared like an idiot in 2004. We all make mistakes.

[AllentownJake]

52. A yell after a long primary is compared to love of Dick Cheney?

Really. Glad to see that is equivalent.

[LastNaturalist]

54. Well, considering that was the first caucus and no primary had even taken place yet.

I hope you never have a sexual attraction you find odd.

[AllentownJake]

57. He practically lived in Iowa for 6 months

I consider that a long time.

[Bluenorthwest]

59. I've had many, but none for a Republican war monger

and none that I feel compelled to use as political fodder. He made that statement as a political rhetorical device. A disgusting one. Cheney is revolting on every possible level. Have you seen his teeth?

[Bluenorthwest]

56. Dean did not roar like an idiot, winger.

Sully simply said 'I think Dick Cheney is sexy' this was part of his unrelenting cheerleading for the invasion of Iraq. He was totally supportive of the Iraq war and Bushco for years. It was not a one off. he was a big proponent of the war, repeatedly, and for a long period of time, making varied and fierce defenses of the war and of Bush. Cheney he just thinks is sexy.
If you think that is the same as Dean cheering, well, Sully is a Republican, and like minds attract I suppose. Dean is a Democrat.

[LastNaturalist]

60. Okay then, Dean squealed, name-caller.

Sorry, not a Deaniac. Don't worship and don't even like him.

[AllentownJake]

76. No but you love you some Andrew Sullivan

and war, social security privatization, insurance mandates etc.

[closeupready]

64. Word.

n/t

[AllentownJake]

77. The only ideological test is:

Is Barack pretty or not.

[Forkboy]

81. Attacking Dean and defending Cheney.

:crazy:

[dsc]

94. actually no he didn't

he yelled to be heard over a crowd with ABC removed from the tape they endlessly played.

[Avalux]

58. AHHH! Andrew Sullivan......good for you! Love this:

"Change of this magnitude is extremely hard. That it is also frustrating, inadequate, compromised, flawed, and beset with bribes and trade-offs does not, in my mind, undermine it. Obama told us it would be like this - and it is. And those who backed him last year would do better, to my mind, if they appreciated the difficulty of this task and the diligence and civility that Obama has displayed in executing it.

Yes, we have. And yes, we still are the ones we've been waiting for - if we still care enough to swallow purism and pride and show up for the less emotionally satisfying grind of real, practical, incremental reform."

:applause:

[skepticscott]

92. Obama also told us

that things in his government would be conducted in the open, with transparency, and that secret deals would not be cut behind closed doors. And then he goes and does exactly that with Big Pharma (who he doesn't work for), giving away the taxpayer's (who he DOES work for) right to bargain for lower drug prices.

[Starry Messenger]

62. Bell Curve Andy. Wow.

Guess people really *can* rationalize anything.

[jonnyblitz]

69. all of you who trash Jane Hampsher yet embrace Andrew

Sullivan, who has a MUCH more sordid past on the RACE issue, are fucking HYPOCRITES. I stick up for neither.

[Prism]

74. Pat Buchanan - Truth Warrior?

It's basically the same thing. Buchanan said some nice things about opposing the Iraq war.

Of course, I don't forget everything else he's done, which is why I don't celebrate him.

Same with Sullivan.

Hooray for a racist, misogynistic, conservative, self-loathing homophobe!

I do hope no one is surprised when Sullivan is the first one off the ship if it looks like Obama's popularity is sinking.

[ShortnFiery]

82. OMG! Such sentiment is profoundly WHACK.

[ruggerson]

87. What the fuck does civil marriage in DC have to do with Obama?

He had nothing to do with it.

And he has not even commented on it to say he would veto a congressional attempt to overturn it.

[EFerrari]

89. LOL

[Beacool]

90. Not much truth in this sentence.

Universal health insurance (with promised deficit reduction!) is imminent - a goal sought by Democrats (and Nixon) for decades, impossible under the centrist Clinton, but won finally by a black liberal president.

1. It's not universal health care, and more importantly, it's a mediocre bill.
2. He's not liberal.
3. He's as white as he is black.

:eyes:

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

97. Are you being sarcastic?

I sure hope you are.

[Orsino]

95. Andrew Sullivan seems to be in the tank only for Andrew Sullivan.

This analysis seems vague, shallow and noncommittal.

[Nancy Waterman]

96. Great article!

Thanks for posting.