yes to the milbank

here's the kind of political writing i admire. i have probably ragged on dana milbank from time to time. but this is the sort of thing that actually gives people credibility: i believe he will vote for obama. but he can see - and more, actually write - that obama is not at all serious about debt reduction. this is obvious, and maybe you think he shouldn't be. on the other hand, he throws it in all the time. he even sold his healthcare package as a deficit-reduction program, which i don't believe was plausible or sincere. what is good about milbank's piece is that he doesn't let the factual beliefs flow effortlesslessly from the political ideology. no fact has ever failed to conform to the ideology of krugman or frank rich; e.g. when you're in a prosperous stage, then you can afford to increase the scope and size of government programs. and when you're in a slowdown, the only solution is to increase the scope and size of government, etc,