Courage and Hope

So Barack Obama skipped out on the disgraceful condemnation of MoveOn vote, despite voting earlier in the day on Barbara Boxer's measure condemning political attacks on any military members (which makes me extremely uncomfortable as a general rule - they're people, not deities).

Way to get the progressive movement's back, B-Rock. I think the vote symbolizes his reticence with taking any chances, lest he soil his unearned image as somehow beyond politics. And so you get a middlebrow Iraq plan, a middlebrow health care plan, a middlebrow tax plan. When you're 20 points down in the polls, you have to take a few chances. His poor showing as a candidate is furthering Hillary Clinton's inevitability as the nominee, despite the risk-averse problems of her own. Dodd and Edwards are the only two candidates willing to step outside the mainstream and lead on important issues, rather than falling back into the pack. (And to some extent Richardson, but he has too many other problems for me to take him seriously)