Steve… torture – we don’t any more. That is a good first step. Then prosecuting or at least investigating might be a good second step. Gay marriage. Drop the marriage and make civil contracts (like btwn my wife and I) as strong as the legal status of ‘marriage’ then leave ‘marriage’ up to the church, not the state? Marijuana decriminalization: smart move. Legalizing it would be even better as it is much less harmful than tobacco. Or alcohol. No one beats up their girlfriend and then smashes their truck after smoking a joint. No one. Besides the snack food industry could use the boost. Besides it could help increase revenues if we enact taxes on junk food, cigs and various libations. My hope is the governator makes it decriminalized and then we gradually move into legalization.

There is a guy over at kos that has been on the mountaintop removal thing for years now. Meteor blades is his handle? I read his stuff and the science friday thing (about the only reason I visit there, because my instructions from George Soros now come over the radio implanted in my toothbrush ;-)

I think things will change as we actually see the green wave really hit. It is coming, but we need to compromise (ugh) for the moment. I never said every decision of the bush crowd was wrong, just some really big ones (stem cells, 9/11, Iraq, Pak, NO/katrina, taxes, economy, debt, graft, crimes, torture – that’s about as compressed as i can make it).

jayson, I have to take issue with your characterization of the two 2008 campaigns as playing exactly the same game. The crowds at McCain/Palin events screamed for the murder of the D candidate. They booed and screeched and wet their damn pants that a black man might actually be a better choice than a very old muddle of the road R and his awful choice for a VP (that numbskull a heartbeat from the Presidency? are you people really that insane? omg you really are that batsh!t…)

Obama may not have delivered every last change on a ecofriendly platter in four months, but he is off to a good start (note, not great). Analyze, criticize, bellyache and kvetch. Push the powers that be and push back when you think you need to. You must be buying too much of the wwnj “hope n change? pshaw!” meme. By most metrics, the Obministration is better than the last crew. Now let’s hope we can change the policies when they aren’t any better than the last set of criminals and cretins. Let’s get to work!

Obama is a masterful campaigner no doubt and he filled the bill for the “mommy make it stop crowd” he can look in the camera and make you think he feels your pain, because I think he really does, he doesn’t know how to make it stop but he feels it. Palin and McCain just don’t have that quality, Palin especially.

I think I am most gleeful because whatever Obama does that Bush did validates that what Bush did was correct and that validates that my philosophy is correct. You don’t think I haven’t had doubts in the last 6 months about my philosophy? Try blogging on a site that is so diametrically opposed to your views day after day and month after month without having doubts. Every now and then I have to step back and see if what I believe still makes sense, and so far it has.

But, shcb, let’s really not talk shit. I know you’re really gleeful about everything Obama does that continues with Bush’s policy. It’s a mistake to think that everything Obama is reviewing visits upon him the divine wisdom of Bush’s approach. Some of it might be that with all the data Bush’s answer to a given issue makes more sense, some of it may be that it’s too huge of a problem to unravel with the snap of a finger. Likewise with the election. We all know that the campaign process in America is predicated on bullshit. The Republicans also need the far-right to get elected, all the nuts in the Christian coalition and a variety of scumbags and crooks, just like the Democrats. It’s the same with the swing voters. It’s not as though the Democrats needed them but the Republicans didn’t. Everything you said about “enthusiastic crowd at every whistle stop and every blog, add a catchy phrase of ‘hope and change’” was exactly what the McCain/Palin ticket were doing and selling. That campaign just turned out to not be as good at it and fell victim to events and McCain’s voting record in Congress. They both played exactly the same game.

He certainly has a soft spot for radicals. Telling his justice department to not prosecute what those on the scene called the worst case of voter intimidation will certainly come back to haunt him.