The pathetic Democratic capitulation on FISA is depressing to be sure. Sen. Feingold sounded pretty depressed when spoke to us about it yesterday on our show. He echoed the same frustration we have had for months now:

"It's the latest chapter of running for cover when the administration tries to intimidate Democrats on national security issues. It's the most embarrassing failure of the Democrats I've seen since 2006, other than the failure to vote to end the Iraq war… It's letting George Bush and Dick Cheney have their way even though they're that unpopular and on their way out. It's really incredible."

The real danger is that those who defend Obama the Candidate no matter what he does are likely to defend Obama the President no matter what he does, too. If we learn in 2009 that Obama has invoked his claimed Article II powers to spy on Americans outside of even the new FISA law, are we going to hear from certain factions that he was justified in doing so to protect us; how it's a good, shrewd move to show he's a centrist and keep his approval ratings high so he can do all the Good things he wants to do for us; how it's different when Obama does it because we can trust him? It certainly looks that way. Those who spent the last five years mauling Bush for "shredding the Constitution" and approving of lawbreaking — only to then praise Obama for supporting a bill that endorses and protects all of that — are displaying exactly the type of blind reverence that is more dangerous than any one political leader could ever be.

The only good thing about George Carlin's death on Sunday at the age of 71 -- and there is no good thing about George Carlin's death on Sunday at the age of 71 -- is that he has already given us such a rich body of thought, analysis, observation and truth that it will take us the rest of our lives to work through it all -- and even then, we probably won't be able to absorb or act on even a percentage of what he's said.

For example, before you put that Obama sticker on your car, think about why Carlin believed the American educational system can never be improved: "The owners of this country -- the big wealthy business interests that control things -- they've got the politicians; they're just put there to give you the idea you have freedom of choice; you don't. They own you. They own everything. What they don't want is a population of citizens capable of critical thinking... It's against their interests."