Unbelievable

The way the press is jumping on Obama about his comments on Iraq are unbelievable. If they had been half this tenacious through the Bush years -- in the time leading up to the war and in the time since, in the disastrous handling of it -- maybe they could have done us some good. But they were worthless then and they're worthless now.

But really, if Obama is "refining" his policies, that's nothing more than saying that the closer you actually get to governing, the more detailed your policies have to be. When you're starting out in the primaries, it's going to be broad themes, overarching philosophies and ideas. When you get closer to governing, this is where specificities and how you're going to implement your policies come in. Get that yet? Duh.

The press (and the Republicans) have shown themselves to be incapable of understanding nuance, or simply understanding the basic progression of things that get you from Point A to Point B in a reasonable way.

So we've had Bush's disastrous policies, then the Republicans rubberstamping it in its totality, then when none of that worked, they fell into "surge" mode. It's been staggering to the mind to realize they put this "surge" idea out there like they did, which follows this logic: 1) Everything that we said was working at the time was actually failing; 2) Therefore we need the "surge." But since point 1 is true, that what they said was working was actually failing, how can you believe them when they said the surge was needed or has done any good? They're liars in addition to being stupid.

Remember, though, the one primetime press conference Bush had, in which he was all lethargic, the press was sitting there in the doldrums, and he was calling on each reporter who got to ask a lazy, unprovoking question? They were like sleeping, toothless dogs. But now when we get a candidate who acts like he knows what he's doing, one who appears to have some intellect, one who appears to have some values beyond corruption and deceit, they're all over him like wolves. There's a disconnect in this.

And, of course, the whining, carping, offering-nothing McCain campaign takes Obama to task, really over nothing. Obama said repeatedly -- repeatedly -- that we need to be as "careful getting out as we were careless getting in" to Iraq. Get that, McCain dunces? That "careful getting out" requires some finesse. Obama is not Bush. He's not a bull charging into the china shop, then out again.

The press is a little cozy with McCain. It is ... unbelievable.