The Nation, that venerable organ of the Left, has come out with an editorial to the effect of…

We will not support any candidate for national office who does not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq a major issue of his or her campaign. We urge all voters to join us in adopting this position.

I sigh. This is all good and well, but I’m not sure I believe them. I recall the 2004 Reason Magazine (unofficially at least, as in the blogging version of this libertarian magazine) probing the meaning of The Nation’s endorsement of John Kerry for president in 2004 and (a bit more stilted toward “in safe states, vote Nader) Al Gore in 2000 (in swing states). It’s a strange contrast from 1992, where the Nation magazine’s endorsement was non-existent — the magazine contemplated the “Left”‘s marginality in the face of Clinton’s frequent use of the “Left” as a campaign pivot point to work against, and acknowledged that the upcoming Clinton presidency would be marginally better than Reagan-Bush. (And to be honest, I’m not sure which stance is better or more intellectually “with it”.)

A better example may lie with the magazine’s glowing cover feature on Hillary Clinton. I had previously commented on one part of it here, on the heels of commenting on the prospects of an actual Hillary Clinton presidency. The National Review link apparently has had a content-change, so that it no longer links to the Hillary Clinton article. Ah well… For my purposes here, the critical passage, paraphrased from memory (until I stumble upon it online — it’s not really worth taking time to dig for it):

The Nation and the Left apologizes for Hillary Clinton’s general hawkishness (the Nation piece posits that she is positioning herself for political gain) in a way they don’t do for Joseph Lieberman because Lieberman’s stands come from conviction and Hillary Clinton’s are political positioning.

When push comes to shove if some hawkish Lieberman-oid pushes the Democrats over the top in gaining control of the Senate in 2006… where will The Nation stand?

I think I’m required by law to point out that The Nation and National Review were both founded by members of Skull and Bones… meaning that the gate-keepers of the American Left and the American Right are… See… they have us coming and going every which way we turn!

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