Today’s the big day that the door finally connects with George W. Bush’s ass. But as we prepare for a minimum four years of maximum wingnut freakout, it’s only fair that I note this comment.

Feeling really uneasy about the Obamysteria gripping the nation, and feeling the need to throw a bucket of ice water on the “surge.”

Get over Obama. Barry ain’t changin’ shit. Modern Day Lincoln? See below.

You think we’re out of Iraq? Got another think coming. Bob Gates again? Continuity does not excuse crimes against peace and crimes against humanity.

Escalation in Afghanistan? Brilliant! They don’t call it the Graveyard Of Emipres for nothing.

Clean coal? Of course we should believe fantastic projections based on 1930’s era coal tar and gas extraction technologies!

Nuclear power? It’s not like we need solutions within the ten-year time frame experts estimate it takes for a fully operational nuclear power plant to pay for its construction, fuel extraction, necessary maintenance and waste disposal with a single positive watt of power.

And if you need more proof about how they are all straw men who deserve nothing but out contempt, ridicule and constant vigilance, here’s the previous day’s Lincoln elaborating on race relations during the 1858 campaign in which he was elected to the Senate:

Abraham Lincoln, July 1858, Chicago Illinois:

Let us discard all this quibbling about this man and the other man, this race and that race and the other race being inferior, and therefore they must be placed in an inferior position. Let us discard all these things, and unite as one people throughout this land, until we shall once more stand up declaring that all men are equal.

Abraham Lincoln, September 1858, Charleston Illinois:

I will say, then, that I am not, nor have ever been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races (applause from audience); that I am not, nor have ever been, in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people…

And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of the superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.

A People’s History Of The United States, Howard Zinn, 2003 p. 188.

They’re all monsters.

Again, get over Prince Barry. He’s going to fuck the liberal movement worse than Clinton. It sucks, but it’s true. “Peaceful” occupation of “postwar Iraq” by “military advisors?” Escalation in Afghanistan? Clean coal? Nuclear power? Hillary Fucking Shark Sandpaper Clinton as Secretary of State?

I would truly regret my vote if the alternative weren’t so abhorrent. I really hope that I’m wrong. I want Obama to succeed in doing for us what we need done. I have no confidence in his will to do so.

The sooner you stop him breaking your heart the happier you’ll be. I promise.

That’s some good old fashioned crazy right there.

And the worst part is I’m truly sympathetic to the idea that our system is fucked up. There’s no question it is. But we’re electing to office a Black man who defeated a true member of the political elite (and in doing so, naturally, became one, but c’est la vie) and who, at very least, can be counted on not to appoint more Alitos to SCOTUS. No, he’s not the progressive hero we’d love: the system isn’t set up to allow that. But he’s a hell of a lot better than Bush, and we should at least give him a chance to govern before we start blasting him. As one of the other commenters on that thread pointed out: wait until noon, jackass.

But what really drives me crazy here is that pointing out the system is fucked* is goddamn useless without proposing a viable alternative. I know that the elites have far too much power, but if you’ve lived through the last eight years and still don’t see that giving up on the system isn’t a viable choice, and that we can best win reform by reframing the debate around progressive principles; if you know America has gone from slavery to Civil Rights to a Black President, and you can’t find anything to celebrate today; if you can howl about the numerous problems in American society without also recognizing the beauty that is the peaceful transfer of power; if you can scream that the government is only for the powerful, without recognizing how far we’ve come in expanding who can be one of the powerful; if you can only see despair, and can’t understand that government of the people, by the people and for the people is a dream that is still worth fighting for, and even its modest triumphs are worth celebrating, then you’re not my ally.

Seriously, dude: today is the time for celebration. Despite everything, there’s a lot to celebrate.

Tomorrow we can all start back in on criticizing our leaders: it’s what responsible citizens do, after all. But they also take the time to praise that which is praiseworthy, and as horrible as our Republic can be at times, it is still a grand tribute to the highest human ideals. I think that’s worth remembering.

*and doing so by buying into the “messiah” strawman isn’t productive, and its full-on wingnut framing