issue after issue:

*environment
*health care
*GLBT issues
*woman's right to choose
*civil liberties
*foreign policy
*veterans
*competence

Still, I'm very disappointed in what I read this morning about  Democratic acquiescence to the CIA torture briefings.

I agree with Lowell.  Moreover, what we should not do is pretend these issues don't matter, cover them up and thereby act as if we condone them.  Then (beyond the talk) we have to walk the walk by pushing for reforms and raising the expectations for some of our less-than-inspiring party leaders.  

The only way we'll lose is if we act soulless, like those who have written too many blank checks for either their own, or our country's good.  We'll lose if we stand for nothing.  We'll lose if we can't convey sharp differences between what we have to offer versus the other side. But holding our side of the aisle accountable?  If we don't we will surely lose and then we'd deserve it.

Every time anyone makes a statement of conscience, it seems, some Bush-lite enabler comes out of the woodwork to try to silence those airing important and honest comment on where we are.  And your advice, jsrutstein,is, in my opinion, the worst advice of all.

If you go back to Lowell's post and see his and my comments, you'll see we essentially found common ground that:

1) torture is always wrong

2) morality trumps party loyalty

3) there should be more information aired on the WaPo story

4) the WaPo in general and in this case spins things unfairly against Dems

5) more average voters (in fact a 60% majority) are anti-waterboarding today than in the 2002-2003 period

I think any disagreement is whether it makes sense politically today to talk about degrees of culpability when discussing something as bad as torture.  I don't agree with you that it's that clear cut that Dems will "lose" electorally if it places a higher priority on framing the debate about Bush's lies and criminality than on purging all but the completely blameless from the party.  I wish the GOP, the corporate media, and the alienated electorate would allow the Dems to perfect themselves this way.  I think if the Dems try to do this now they'll be purer, smaller, and out of office.

I hope my statements here, in the other thread, and elsewhere are enough to rebut any accusation you've made that I'm a Bush-lite enabler trying to silence anyone.  I'm not Cindy Sheehan, but I am pro-impeachment of both Cheney and Bush.  Moreover, I'm only offering my opinion.  My predictions about elections would only silence those who agree.  The fact that you were prompted to disagree proves that, even if I intended to silence anyone (which was not my intent at all), I failed.