Right on, Al! A pitch perfect post.

The most depressing element of the FISA caterwauling has been the absolutism of it, the threatening dogmatism, and, of course, the smug and self-righteous sense of superiority. My way or the highway. Gone from the discussion is the long view, the idea that the best possible outcome for FISA and every other issue is a Democratic president, a Democratic attorney general, a strong Democratic Congress and Senate, and a Democratic agenda.

I've been scratching my head at the myopia of the FISA trolls, stewing in dark corners with furrowed brows and cartoon frowns, CAPS LOCK keys perpetually turned on, angrily ripping their Obama bumper stickers from their cars. You just want to scream, be patient! Take the long view! A campaign has a complex gestalt and, by definition, is more about the creation of an environment in which each single issue can assert itself with greater likelihood of efficacy than without that environment. In fact, that's exactly what the FISA vote revealed. Obama's vote didn't matter at all in the long run because the environment in which it would have made a difference was not there. And that's the point of the campaign.

Your post, Al, goes a long way toward pointing the way there.