Even the most apolitical, self absorbed American should realize the dramatic shift that has occurred in this country.  The two party system no longer represents ‘left’ and ‘right’ as both are now well to the right of what was once considered moderate in our national debate.  While most of the 2008 Democratic candidates can claim at least one position that qualifies as progressive, (Edwards' populism, Obama’s cultural heritage, Kucinich’s hottie Brit wife, etc.) when viewed as a whole, their party’s platform is closer to the ‘enlightened conservatism’ of northeastern Republicans of the 1950s – 1970s than to the stated goals of Johnson’s ‘Great Society’.

At the same time, the Republicans have skewed so far to the right as to be almost unrecognizable to anyone old enough to remember life prior to the “Reagan revolution.”  Their advocacy of rendition, torture, spying on American citizens, and a litany of other abuses of the Bill of Rights, all in the name of ‘protecting us,’ is both obscene and criminal.  (What part of Franklin’s famously prescient quote concerning liberty and security don’t they understand?)  A generation ago, many of the more radical members of the left were ready to declare war against a government that while guilty of numerous specific atrocities, was significantly less reactionary and less generally hostile to our Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Against this backdrop, the inability of today’s left to mount an effective campaign against any of the Bush administration’s most egregious offenses is both frustrating and confusing.   Exploring the reasons for this failure helps me keep me sane and out of trouble.  My goal will be to produce a monthly article along with frequent, but brief commentaries on current news items.