I think you misunderstand. Its not righteousness, and there is no joy in having called everything from no terrorists to car-bombs to an endless occupation, to the rise of Iran correctly and 'on the money'. The angst directed at the right comes from the blood on my hands. As an American, I wear it just as much as you. The angst directed at the right comes from their stolid refusal to even bat an eye or drop a pompom in their endless cheer-leading. That the right, as a beast, has not learned means we will do this again, and again, and again- as somewhere close to half our country follows what the Limbaughs, the Hannities, the Coulters and the Roves say.

You think this is gloating? No, this is fear for my country. This is recognition of wounds inflicted on this country and our global image and position that may never heal.

In all things, foreign policy, economics, the war on terrorism, personal liberties... All of it has ranged from colossal failure to stagnation or wasted opportunity over the last 7 years. Democrats have failed us as well, don't get me wrong, but at least you hear in the rhetoric of the left an understanding of that failure. Meanwhile, the 'Chicken Quibbles' on the right such as Tom B insist that the sky is not falling, isn't even changing altitude- in fact is the best its ever been and not a single thing was incorrectly done for the last 7 years. And the Chicken Quibbles will argue the same points again and again, despite that the moving hand of history has written the failures and moved on.

Nope. Its not gloat, its outright frustration. I am sick of the revisionism. I am sick of the outright refusal of the right, as a whole to admit failure and introspect. I am sick that when people point out the massive screw up that is still Iraq, and point out that we americans are largely to blame, that people like you- so-called sane moderate right wingers- huffily say: 'Well! You are entitled to your opinion'

Its not opinion any more. There is nothing to debate, at least with Iraq. Its like effing global warming. Oh, sure, just like Global warming, we'll change the parameters of the argument when its clear your position has failed to make a case: We'll move from arguing that there is no global warming trend to arguing that its all volcanoes or cow flatulence. Just as Iraq moved from getting rid of an al-qaeda linked WMD armed threat to liberating those poor Iraqis and giving them democracy to what it is now: we can't leave, because to leave is to call it a defeat.

Its the endless Quibble I'm sick of. Its the endless chanting I'm sick of. 4 years ago I was a traitor and a coward (maybe you didn't say it, but you sure as hell didn't speak against it). 4 years later, everything I warned about and most of what I predicted came true. Now, we on the left are still wrong, still idiots, still unamerican- just the right has invented different reasons and new slanders and re-framed the arguments. And when history proves us correct again, I expect nothing will change on the right and no lightbulbs will click on, and the ape chant on the right will be in the same meter, just with different octive hoots.

The left may be wrong about a lot of stuff, but we look like Oracles next to the right. And not a single damn pundit, commentator or even zoner (Excluding McFly, I should say) on the right has woken up and said: 'Oh, Shit! We got that wrong!'. Nope, you all are all still right as rain- just for different reasons-of-the-week.

In a way, discourse for the right is entirely consistent with the attitude being advanced about Iraq: Don't try to win it, Don't admit it can't be won. Just keep going and you never have to say you failed or were wrong. At least until you turn power over to a democrat. Then declare it their loss. As if truth in the case of discourse, or victory in the case of war, was all just about qubbling forever and never conceding.

That running out the clock is the same as being right.

Yeti