Obama and Company are gearing up for an explanation tour of our goals in the Middle East… that we are there to keep Al Qaeda out, to stop the Taliban from returning to Afghanistan, and to WIN (whatever that means).
Trying to build a Democratic state in a Medieval mess is just not working out. Keeping the corrupt Karzai government afloat is a form of creeping suicide for our troops, which we have expanded in Afghanistan as we have cut them in Iraq.
(Names slightly change to protect the crazy)
I got a strange text message from my friend Alice;
“Syk is coming, don’t bring up politics, please”
Syk is the nickname for one of my teabagger friends I’ve mentioned before. He and I had a racial quarrel earlier in the week that I’ll mention in a bit. I texted back
“I won’t if he won’t”
The Army is once again trying to pinpoint the causes behind the bafflingly stubborn rate of suicide within its ranks. 
A new report now says it’s a leadership failure — inattention to pre-deployment problem behaviors — rather than the stress of repeated deployments itself. Next week they’ll come up with some other reason. Meanwhile they’re establishing all these fancy new programs designed to prop up the force’s mental health, yet overlooking what might be among the most fundamental cause of all: a profound and violent spiritual disenchantment with what the war represents and what it’s doing to our country, our troops, and of course the innocent civilians who suffer as well.
On Facebook today someone asked me to join an event to “Stop the Marketplace for One Day”. Because Facebook will only allow me 1,000 characters in a wall post – and because I can’t say “hello” in less than 1,500 characters – I decided to make it the basis of an Open Thread discussion.
My comment is below the fold, but you won’t find me pitching in to bring down the global economy to somehow “fix things”. I like the 21st century, and since one of my children did not die as an infant I find it demonstrably more desirable than the 19th century when at least one of them would have.
Anyone who wants to suggest that we shuck off this modern world needs to talk to the parents of this baby, first.
Your thoughts?
Teabaggers turned out In droves to cheer on their Minister of Propaganda, Andrew Breitbart, at the multi-ethnic Unit-Tea Rally in Philadelphia today. Film at 11.
Fail!
This is the last part of a series of posts analyzing the swing state Pennsylvania. The previous parts can be found here.
Conclusions
For many decades, Pennsylvania constituted model of Democratic strength based upon working-class votes. Today that is changing, especially in the southwest. For the moment, nevertheless, the swing state Pennsylvania remains Democratic-leaning. This is more because of an unusually strong Democratic machine than any natural liberalism in Pennsylvania.
In 2008 Democrats won Pennsylvania by double-digits, amassing a coalition based upon poor blacks in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, rich whites in the Philadelphia suburbs, and working-class votes outside Appalachia. It is a strange-looking combination, but it works.
More below.