Changelings

Pursuit of Liberty tells the story: "once upon a time the Republican party stood for something different from the Democratic party, but somewhere that changed so that functionally (meaning without regard to what both parties say) they all stand for codifying the status quo." This latter is perhaps nowhere more clear than in the continuity of Bush era policies, both foreign and domestic, under the Obama administration, despite the latter's insistent calls for change. But don't take my word for it.

In an article at Front Page, neo-con David Horowitz voices his concern over right wing "Obama Derangement Syndrome" and urges calm, indicating that the conservative alarm is overblown. "Look again at [Obama's] approach to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In both cases, as noted, he is carrying out the Bush policies – the same that he once joined his fellow Democrats in condemning. And that should be reassuring to anyone concerned about where he is heading as commander-in-chief."

Over on the left, Noam Chomsky was recently asked for his take on the Obama-Geithner bank rescue plan, and stated the obvious. "They're simply recycling pretty much the Bush-Paulson measures, changing them a little, but essentially the same idea. Keep the institutional structure the same, try to kind of patch things up, bribe the banks and investors to help out, but avoid the measures that might get to the heart of the problem."