Flanking Obama's Right

I share John Cole's frustration with left-wingers who howl at every position of centrist pragmatism that Obama takes despite the fact that he has always run as a center-left pragmatist. These are probably the same self-absorbed bozos that voted for Nader. Just as you'd rather have had Gore than Bush, you'd rather have Obama than McCain. Big picture, guys. John Cole:

The sum total of this behavior is to validate GOP frames (aided, of course, by a media establishment that loves a “gotcha” and is wholly in the tank for McCain) that Barack is a flip-flopper and can’t be trusted, and watching these various interest groups daily hamstring Obama is going to give me an ulcer or high blood pressure or both. I can’t decide what is driving it, but it is maddening. Whether it is a need to feel relevant, the naivete of single issue voters, an unwillingness to recognize the demands of a general election, spite from former Hillary supporters, complete ignorance regarding Obama’s stated position on an issue (see his “flip-flop” on Iraq in which he said the same thing he has been saying for over a year- he will continue to refine his withdrawal policy as he gets additional information), or a desire for accountability after eight years of Bush, the end result is to force Obama into a box on many issues and refuse to allow him the flexibility he needs to win in November.