Anti-Climacus

WELL: I was at coffee today (as Dara knows) with one of my friends, the sort of ideological sparring-partner who is really ideal: she's informed, and quite a bit to the left of me, so it always makes for an interesting conversation. Anyway, today we discussed (surprise!) Iraq, and reached consensus on a few points: war is undesirable, but Iraqi democracy (if it can be realized) would be wonderful, and the anti-Semitism gaining currency on the hard-left and -right is completely unacceptable. A good reminder for me, who occasionally feels ailenated from the party and the cause, that most people recognize political necessities.