September 11 - Bad Guys Given Victory

Paul Krugman said it sooner and better than I could - no surprise there. There is a lot of shame to go around, shared by most of us. We all know what was - is still - going on was wrong. What did we do to stop it? Krugman and Glenn Greenwald can sleep at night - they did their share and more. The rest of us - I don't know. I was never out in the street protesting. How can I point fingers?

But the point I need to add to Dr. Krugman's succinct analysis is that because of all the shameful acts or brutality, greed, and stupidity done by our nation in our name, Osama bin Laden was given the victory he sought and lots more.

Bin Laden's view of the US was through the lens of his extreme religious beliefs and having seen with his own eyes what American actions did in the Middle East. America has supported Israel - clearly not a hit with the Afghani mud hut crowd - but also propped up the governments across the continent which repressed their own Islamic people.

The attacks of 9-11 were horrific, but not a percentage point as horrific as awful and deadly as the response. By destroying any concept of constitutional rule, by torturing and killing and rendering and by locking ourselves in a police state, we've shown that the Osama view of America was the correct view. We showed ourselves to be the lawless jackbooted thieves that he painted us to be.

We waged a needless and illegal war that killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. We have tortured prisoners - by our own admission. Bush even bragged about ordering it in his book. CIA Black Sites across the world operate a shadow regime that has no rules. The NSA collects more than 1.7 billion phone calls and emails every day - with no warrant.

This was not the America I grew up in. I didn't believe this America was even a possibility. Osama saw it, and his attack brought it out. We had elected the worst of us as leader, and that leader rose - or, rather fell - to the occasion.

Our basest instincts and most unappealing traits have been on display for a decade - and counting. The man who lied about being a Progressive in order to get elected has instead chosen to lower our standards rather than raise them. Thanks, Mr. Obama.

A couple of times while I've been typing this I've wondered if it was safe to post. What kind of free country makes you afraid to post an opinion?

Nice win, Al Qaeda.

Wrong Party, Sir

I've finally figured out the solution to the great Obama quandary. To recap, our current POTUS ran a fiercely inspiring campaign as a Progressive Democrat in 2007-08. He was going to stop the abuses of the historically atrocious Bush Junta and restore America to the status of 'nation of laws' rather than 'nation of the dark impulses of Dick Cheney's private psychological hell.'

As it turns out, not so much. Not so much Progressivism. Cheney's sadistic demons are still in charge of the National Security State. The US constitution, rather than being pressed back into service, has been demoted to the level of a suggestion to the Warden on menu items from the sociopath killer in solitary.

And, in making Bush the Bloodthirsty Boy King and his deformed counselor Cheney look like a small college debate team from the 1950's, Obama has helped move the right wing from 'fanatical war mongering closet racists' to 'utterly unhinged anything-goes scorched earth skinhead radicals.' The right has let their pretenses drop - they're out there admitting that they're ready to let everyone but the rich and corporations ("people, too" according to Romney - who's sadly not wrong) go straight to hell. No help for nobody. Trillions for the rich and corporate, nothing for the hungry and hurting.

Obama has moved from Progressive campaign words to far Right policies - on civil rights, social justice, economic justice, and aggressive war. Meanwhile, to keep a distance to the right of Obama, the Republicans have become as evil and hard to believe in as balrogs and ringwraiths of Mordor.

So here's the solution: Obama should switch parties.

He's ruling to the right of Reagan, why not just admit it? Switch the letter: President Barack Obama (R).

It makes perfect sense. Move the center back to the center. Have a real Progressive Democrat (if we can find any) run against the Republican president. Let the Republicans embrace a guy whose positions are exactly what they purport to believe in. They can throw away the ridiculous cartoon figures who are running to lead their party to inevitable ruin in 2012.

Look: Progressives beli9eve in civil rights and social and economic justice. Right wing economic policies don't work and have been proven disastrous every time they've been tried anywhere in the world. So why are these the only ideas allowed in American political discourse?

Because that's what the President wants. And opposition to the Left must come from the Right (it sure ain't coming from the Obama-bots in the Democratic Party). If we stop and admit that Obama is a Right Winger, we can kick start an opposition which would actually fight for Progressive stuff.

Imagine someone other than Paul Krugman demanding a jobs program and economic stimulus? Imagine someone other than Glenn Greenwald fighting for civil liberties? We could have a whole political movement for those things - like we used to.

So please - Mr. Obama - cross the aisle. Soon.