GOOD JOB...

... last night. The State of the Union was strong--without being pugnacious--and explicit in detail. The President managed to assign appropriate accountability without being ungracious; I believe that he remains genuinely open to bi-partisan work, but will be less willing to be the only one to compromise.

Is it sheer ill-will, or do his critics honestly not hear or understand Obama's words? Their strategy is to impute ideas and attitudes to him that he never proposed, and then berate him for embracing them. That they convince a significant part of the American electorate to believe this nonsense suggests a gullibility that would be laughable if it were not so dangerous.

No doubt the candidates will pursue this strategy as they respond to the President's speech. I hope that thinking Americans will have listened to what he actually said rather than the "interpretations" from the disingenuous right.

SOUTH CAROLINA!

Today is the South Carolina primary. I listen to the words of the Republican candidates with incredulity: they have been pushed so far to the right that they have left the realm of reality way behind. For any rational, thinking, even moderately compassionate mind, there is no contest between anyone of them and President Obama. Stephen Colbert's initiative as a stand-in for Herman Cain is not merely funny; it's a timely, continuing and essential reminder of the dangerous absurdity of the way in which we have come to elect our public officials. His "super PAC" neatly skewers a system that allows money and power to buy political influence; and his mock conservatism brings the bright light of satire to bear on the heartlessness--and mindlessness--of the right-wing fanatics. A vote Herman Cain is a vote for President Obama!