Once again you've written with rare depth and perspective.

It's all very difficult to watch, this dismantling of an idea that gives us cohesion and a national identity. Without it, corporate power will rule our lives while we hear echoed the words of Bush 43, "We VALUE the Constitution."

The worst empty place: Obama as empty suit.
I'm not glad he's president. I regret not supporting Hillary.

Thank you for this eloquent expression of what many of us are feeling, having allowed ourselves to hope for change against our better judgement and the evidence of past experience.

America is an "idea" as well as an on-going experiment. Growing up on the East Coast I interacted with families from many other countries. It was a wonder to see them grapple with their learned ways of thinking and we, their children, being shaped by this countries' ideas as well.
As a woman, I grew up seeing (thru religion and European society ideas), that women were not supposed to be people in their own right. In school I learned that in America the Idea is that every human is a person, with rights even!
Who we are in still and all good and glorious. Let's remember this especially when it seems to get lost.

To that person who regretted not voting for Hillary. Your point of view is symptomatic of what is wrong with this country...self delusion!

When you voted for Obama, you in fact wound up voting for Hillary. More than half of Obama's appointments are from the Hillary branch of the Democratic Party, the DLC. All the major players in all of the big initiatives put forth by Obama are DLCers......Hillary's people.
Salazar and BP...Hillary's guy.....Napolitano and internal security.....Hillary's gal.....Sebelius and health care...Hillary's gal.......Emanuel and all public policy....Hillary's guy....get it!

Then there is the SCOTUS which has institutionalized political bribery.

Then there is the Congress where the rules say if you raised millions of dollars for your re-election campaign and you decide not to run,.....you get to keep the money!! Instant millionaire!!

The majority the top leaders in every branch of the government are corporate stooges hell bent to grab everything they can while it remains legal to do so and Hillary and Bill and Barack are cheering them all on.

The Clinton's are now bazillionaires and Obama is looking forward to his share. That is the Reality of American Today

One president since Truman was not a creature of the "defense" industry. See the phenomenally illuminative, and brilliantly constructed book, BROTHERS: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF THE KENNEDY YEARS by David Talbot, based on the author' precious collection of primary source materials like from the people who were there. The Brothers, like their contemporary MLK, began to fill the empty spaces already in the short time they had, both for this country and the world. There was clearly a lot more filling on their agenda to come.

It all pales into insignificance in the face of the treasonous murders committed by a cabal of neocons on9/11. Ten years later, and still the perpetrators walk free. America is now run by these same criminals in the shadow government while Obama jitters about the stage on his puppet strings. "We the people" are in for some rough times.

Think of what it means to hold the office. Ask yourself why did Obama seemingly change out of the blue? Ask yourself what might make you change so dramatically if you were in his shoes. This might give you certain insight into his dilemma that you may be refusing to see in your idealistic and childish fantasy of how American actually works. True, the damage that has been done since Regan's dangerous politics was immense.However, this is a different world now...it is a world where, like it or not corporations call the shots. It is a world where our lives depend on their success. They have us and our president exactly where they want us...their demise means our demise! This should be evident by all the bailouts i.e. 'too big to fail'. This president is doing a great job under the circumstances! There is no one who could do better...not even you Mr. Pitt. The cold hard truth is nothing can be done without first balancing power. It has taken years to undo America, it will take years to put her back together. First, Obama has to convince all of America to unite and from the looks of it...if he doesn't even have his voters support, he certainly will not prevail. I too wanted to believe it was only conservative Republicans who were misguided but now I see that it is also liberal democrats. Hope? Wish on a star all you want...howl to the moon in dismay...hold your breath until you turn blue, your behavior only serves an anxious immature nation. It's time to put down our protest signs and help. Help our president for a change instead of complaining about him. Do all you can to tell him what you want instead of doing all you can to trash him. Sure...negativity sells more in this 'reality TV' mentality world, but why be so predictable? Maybe we could all do with a good dose of humble pie. Maybe we don't have all the answers from the sidelines as we believe we do. What say you Mr. Pitt?

I think Obama is the best guy that ever slid down the pike, in m y life-time anyway.. But two years ago I thought he would fail me for two reasons, which have proven disappointingly true

1.
He would not bring the war criminals Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/ Rice/Rove ....etc etc... to justice. These people really truly belong in prison. Its painful to see them walking free and collecting dollars and having libraries built in their honor. Its as if Hitler and Goering are having a grand old time in retirement.

2.
He would not demilitarize the economy and defuse the military warrior culture that has become America since WWII. Wars and defense spending continue to overwhelm the budget...and that is the problem.

Obama is a liar and the biggest back-flipper in the Oval Office I have witnessed in 40 years of voting. First I was angry with his lack of leadership, lack of will, etc. Only to find out Obama sold out faster than you could say "Tooth Fairy" to the Republicans who "hope he fails" and Obama is making sure the Republican agenda is going forward, drill baby drill and more permits for everyone. Karizi and the wars, the bankers and the deregulators, the CEO's of greed and the whole thing being put on the taxpayers' credit card. Change Obama's diaper, he has soiled himself again.

I'm with "Think of what it means to.." Think about what it means to go up against these tremendously infiltrated powers. One man? One man is going to deliver our progressives goals in the midst of this evil?
One man whose supporters fade with the 18 month morning dew because this evil has not be eradicated yet?
The smartest thing Obama may have done is hold our enemies close to him. He's got to get the boat floating before he can row it. Of course, he might be rowing it all by himself seeing as how progressives had such a shallow understanding of how absolutely dire our situation is.
No wonder conservatives call us "weenies"; we get mad, pick up our marbles, and quit.

Whether rightly or wrongly Mr. Pitt always speaks eloquently from the soul of every caring and well meaning citizen of the United States and of humanity. He speaks for me. As a liberally educated, well traveled and responsible citizen I enjoy every thing he has ever written even on the rare occasion where I might see the other side of the coin. Never was there a truer treasure than this noble warrior -- thanks again Mr. Pitt.

Some say Obama can not lead the way with a Liberal agenda because it would be too dangerous. They seem to be satisfied with him even as he pushes a Conservative agenda 80 percent of the time.

Now he has come up with a Deficit Commission chaired by Arlen Spector. The goal is to reduce the deficit by cutting or eliminating 151 social programs. And reducing benefits in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

I would like to see the leader of this nation take a risk, just like an ordinary soldier does for just 100 bucks a day. Or Martin Luther King did it for nothing. Push a Liberal agenda night and day, until something breaks. That is what a real leader would do.

When O'Bama let those law breakers off the hook, he opened the door for the problems he has had. When those same crooks and misleaders are placed in positions, flaunting their false untouchability, they're message of lies, misrepresentations and pure bull was given credibility, for it seemed that they were all powerful. I was greatly disappointed with the decision not to prosecute and i felt that the true ideal of leadership was abandoned, for they went unpunished for their sins against the People of this country. When these things were done, I believed that all would be lost, that the opportunity to right the wrongs were gone forever. It has come to pass and the crooks still rule with a flagrant thumbing of their noses at the Law and this great Nation. And when I see ol' Bill palling around with those rapers of our Liberty, Rights and Wallets, our personal security and rights to the American Dream, my stomach turns and I feel even more betrayed. It is one thing to bitch and complain, but another to act.

from continued...why? because thats the only language those ppl understand:power. you investigate, you prosecute, you use their games against them and you are ruthless in the fight to bring light. you let corporations fail, you let the system crash and burn and you come up with ingenious new ways to get past the death throes of the old 'new' world order, NOT continue it or 'get it floating again' blah blah blah. and if you're afraid you or your family might get their asses shot off, you don't take the job! MLK knew it, Malcolm knew it. because THIS unfortunately is the type of world we have come to and are living in and that means you have to be ready to die for what you believe if you're going to hold the high office and make significant changes that will threaten the status quo. but thats why you surround yourself with ppl who share your outlook and your unquenchable spirit. Cutsy patsy time is over in America, its been over and its time the general public grew up to the cold hard truth of how the game is run. obama from the gitgo surrounded himself with the same old clowns. that spells: sellout..ok maybe a 'nicer' sellout but one just the same and it ends up meaning the same for the most part in reality. i don't think most ppl thought a magic wand was going to be waved and the world was going to magically change, but in all ways that matter, the fight that needs to begin hasn't one tiny bit.

You wrote: "Perhaps, if we remind them in strong enough terms, if we make We The People a true force for right instead of a catch-phrase, things would get better."

I used to think I knew how to do that: letters, opinion pieces, independent media production, supporting candidates I believed in, etc. - but now it's gotten to be so bad, I feel helpless and politically paralyzed - but seething mad nonetheless. I don't know how We The People can get our voice back.

Excellent column !
But a sad column !

Do you remember your teaching days enough, Will, to include this administration's focus on privatization and union-busting in the arena of public education in those things you are aching for?

For this teacher, still on the front lines, the spaces aren't empty. They are filled with rage and betrayal.

You hit the nail on the head with this article. Yes, there are disappointments, but it's very important to have a thoughtful man in the White House. I have been amazed at how some people just accept that Obama is a "socialist" when there are no facts to support that. But they keep on saying that lie.

They say that to cover up what they are intending. There are people in this country who want a return to feudalism. It's not a conspiracy per se, but an attitude that has taken hold. There is a sense of entitlement among that group. They want to be the nobility and have serfs and indentured servants. So that is what we are fighting. While falsely proclaiming their patriotism, they oppose the idea of America, as you so well articulated it, and are getting the power to take their country back - back to the middle ages and feudalism.

We could lose this battle - the Supreme Court decisions on campaign finance, the watering down of financial reform, the torture, the limitations on habeas corpus, the constant lies and shouting down of thoughtful positions, the dumbing down of our educations so as to make sure the kids don't develop critical thinking skills, and the constant message of entitlement as set forth in TV ads, billboards and movies, mountains of personal debt.

How do we let our fellow citizens know that they and their children will not be the new nobility, but will be the serfs? Hell, they are likely already indentured.

I've always enjoyed Mr. Pitt's essays, and while this one seems to have hit a homerun for many people, I find it a little naive and a little too much Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Those days are over, and that idea of who we are is over. In the film, the bad guys were defeated and just as corrupt as any Congressman or woman. But WE the PEOPLE have allowed a tsunami of privatization in every area that government used to perform for people. Every one. (Can you think of one area without contractors? Maybe the public library.) Since Bush senior the power of the CIA has joined the old boy's club. People have been fed fear and most of us have had to make little or no sacrifice for the good of the nation.
Obama is in the trap of a successful politician. He is also in the presidential bubble where advisors lead him from one hour to another in his schedule. How else to explain his complete ignorance, this intelligent, articulate man, of what has happened, for instance, to public education and what can be done.
A few progressives still work from a grass roots place and make some headway. America is a place of complaint and inaction. Inform yourselves. Talk to people, organize discussion groups in your neighborhood, your community. Combat lies and misinformation the minute it comes out of someone's mouth. We are not lost--yet, but we must act.

Beautiful, Will. Thank you.

I would add only from the experience of one who had modest hopes for Obama only to see them largely unfulfilled with lots of bad staff and lots of drunken Kool-aid parties (metaphorically speaking), I don't have "empty spaces," I have spaces filled by betrayal. I only hope that the betrayal ultimately propells us to continue what we started in 2006, taking back our country, extracting it from the Industrial Empire (using the wisdom of our founders), and shifting the whole paradigm. All the current evil and upheaval seems to me to be the backlash that always occurs when people are facing a paradigm shift and are scared poopless. I hope this turns out to be true and we make the leap successfully.

Reporting on the now overwhelming (and corroborated by 1250 Architects and Engineers, many with very high qualifications and special knowledge) evidence that the attack on the Trade Towers was 'helped' by a well engineered control demolition would be a great thing to add to your resume, Mr. Pitt. So would reporting on the stolen election in 2000 and questionable elections ever since, which has been demonstrated by the Princeton computer science department, along with forensic analysis of voting patterns (the disparity between exit polling and tallied votes correlates beautifully with the use of non-voter-verifiable electronic voting, which produces no physical ballot, and with the use of certain optical scanning devices). How about a real wailer about how our country has been stolen by computer voting and that we've been bamboozled into giving up our Bill Of Rights for 'National Security' reasons? Now THAT would be really Progressive.

Inspiration these days, as it has been for a while now, emanates from "South of the Border," Unfortunately the calamities we have endured and face anew are still not enough to encourage the fearless necessity of promulgating our own Bolivarean revolution. By god, Chaves has certainly been leading the way as he did again this week by nationalizing American oil interests once more. Only brass cajones, or a righteous purpose like saving the planet can fortify true leaders and their cause. Capitalism is the symptom, selfish ignorance is the disease.

This article reminds me how much I was inspired by Kucinich. His candidacy in 2004 was the first time I got involved in politics and became on of the campaign coordinators in my county - even though at the time I was still a resident alien. I met to most incredible people during that time, and even now we still recognize each other in the street. I have a sense that we may still get together behind another voice.

I am also increasingly certain that Obama 'handled' the progressives. I have some faint hope that he is doing some good stealth work by simply restoring sanity to the less visible parts of the government before he makes more overt moves. That, for example, the Health Reform bill was more about creating momentum and that it can be improved later, and again later, and again . . . and that there are other fractional efforts made across the board because he knows better what is possible . . . but I have to agree that I no longer see him as a leader.

Once again you caught in words, what so many of us feel.

But it is all going as it has to go.

Real fighting happens in the blinding fog and sticking mud, with people at your side that can not trust.

Historians always look back and make it look so clear and simple. It wasn't, and it won't be.

Push harder, push smarter. keep pushing.

The historians will then look back on us and make it look so simple....

If Mr. Pitt wasn't already married and I wasn't already married and old enough to be his mother, I would want to walk with him forever. He is a GOOD GUY, way intelligent and always comes up with just the right words for each angst-riddled jaberwocky.
I still have hope for Obama. He is a decent and intelligent man. Who knows what kind of evil goes on behind the scenes? Have there been threats to his family?
Does anyone remember the article on the Shadow Government written by Gore Vidal back in the 8Os? Very scary stuff.

William, thank you for all you do!