Ah, The Nation. In case you don't know that publication, think of the National Review, the Weekly Standard and the American Spectator all rolled into one but aimed at the left, on steroids, and with no internal governor to tell editors when they make the lunatic fringe sound reasonable. That magazine is offering some earnest advice to Barack Obama:
Only a grassroots base as broad and as energized as the one that is behind you can counteract the forces of money and established power that are a dead weight on those seeking real change in American politics.
We urge you, then, to listen to the voices of the people who can lift you to the presidency and beyond.
Since your historic victory in the primary, there have been troubling signs that you are moving away from the core commitments shared by many who have supported your campaign, toward a more cautious and centrist stance--including, most notably, your vote for the FISA legislation granting telecom companies immunity from prosecution for illegal wiretapping, which angered and dismayed so many of your supporters.
We recognize that compromise is necessary in any democracy. We understand that the pressures brought to bear on those seeking the highest office are intense. But retreating from the stands that have been the signature of your campaign will weaken the movement whose vigorous backing you need in order to win and then deliver the change you have promised.
In other words, be true to the cause and stop all that silly nonsense that might actually get you elected. Nothing is scarier than seeing someone through the eyes of the true believers and listening to what they expect from him.
