Marginalize me, ostracize me, or whatever, but I refuse to yield the Bill of Rights, the separation of powers or the rule of law to anyone. I swore no oath to defend the Constitution but do so as a matter of conscience and principle, as it’s the only thing at all that makes the US special: our guaranteed freedoms. As I noted earlier today, I’m confused about this ‘love’ some feel that they call patriotism. But there’s not a bit of confusion about the best defense we have against enemies foreign and domestic: it’s the Constitution, stupid.

My principle is this: the federal government’s first and most critical role is to provide for the common defense. Today, they failed to do that. And the biggest threat to this nation is not al-Qaida. It’s political representatives who try to usurp the laws protecting us, because they slowly chip away till there’s nothing left.

As Glenn Greenwald noted earlier today, quoting Lawrence Lessig:

Obama said he would filibuster a FISA bill with Telco Immunity in it. He has now signaled he won’t. When you talk to people close to the campaign about this, they say stuff like: “Come on, who really cares about that issue? Does anyone think the left is going to vote for McCain rather than Obama? This was a hard question. We tried to get it right. And anyway, the FISA compromise in the bill was a good one.”

Damn straight I won’t vote for McCain. But I won’t vote for Obama either. I will vote for a third party candidate and if enough other progressives do, causing an Obama loss? Oh well, too bad, so sad that Obama lacks the spine or wisdom to defend the Constitution. I will look for a McCain surge in the national polling now which will confirm how badly Obama miscalculated.

The difference, for me, is that I won’t relent, even if the ACLU gets the courts to overturn Congress on this bill.

I know which side my freedom’s buttered on.

And let’s get this straight. I remember RFK and JFK. As they became progressives, the Kennedys were my friends. And you, Sir Obama, are no Kennedy. You’re just another weaselly politician trying to put politics above our freedoms.

I haven’t bought a drop of Exxon gasoline since the Exxon Valdez disaster and I won’t relent in my defense of freedom. It’s likely that McCain will make a worse president, but on the most important measure, the two men are exactly the same: wrong and dangerous.

And my conscience affords no room for compromise, period.

Added note: after reviewing the votes, it’s clear we were wrong as progressives, to back several Senators who took down Republican incumbents. The most prominent examples: Webb, Whitehouse, Salazar, McCaskill and Bob Casey. On the other hand, I’m glad to see Jon Tester, Brown, Stabenow and Klobuchar remain steadfast.

I may write-in one of the latter for President. But I won’t be hoodwinked into aiming for a Democratic majority in Congress with the now-disproved notion that they’ll make a difference. They haven’t. And as Blue Dog Dems, they never will.

The GOP is smart enough to respect its base. If the Dems want to take liberals for granted, they have to understand the consequences of doing so. They may be spineless but some of us progressives aren’t.

Ross Perot defined most elected Dems exactly right: members of the Money Party, along with all Republicans.

Barack Obama: you’re an appeaser and a coward and a sellout, a perfect representative of the rot at the core of weakling Dems.

Update: Richard Blair won’t vote Obama. Nor will Jim Henley Thoreau. And Chris Floyd’s prosaic mastery says he’s not gonna either.

Update #2: “Yes We Can’t” might be Obama’s new motto. Or is it “Change We Can Count On To Abandon Us In A Fight”?