As a longtime (State Senate days) of Barack Obama, I believe that we are missing a key element of Barack's diary. Hidden within, I believe Barack was politely saying to us all ... we have nothing.
We have absolutely no power. We lost the White House (fraud ... oh its so Chicago), the Senate, the House, the Supreme Court, the Appellate Courts, thousands of school districts (hello intelligent design), and about every dog catcher race west of the Mighty Mississip.
It is very much reminiscent of the Republican position pre-1994. What did they do about it? They chose their six words carefully. They picked the battles that were most meaningful to them. And they worked their tails off. In many respects, I think Obama is asking us to do the same. Is Roberts that important? Is Biden's bankruptcy vote that critical? Do we have to be strident on everything or should we pick those issues most important to us and boil it down to the most politically resonant six words?