The title is straight from The Politico.
The entire post is too short to worry about clipping:
In a speech this afternoon in central Iowa, Barack Obama seems to have widened his criticism of the politics of the past to encompass not only Hillary Clinton but John Kerry and Nobel Laureate Al Gore.
Making an argument for his electability, Obama said, "I don't want to go into the next election starting off with half the country already not wanting to vote for Democrats -- we've done that in 2004, 2000," according to a person at the event (rush transcript).
WTF is going on here? As Atrios said earlier today on his other fresh gaffe,
Is there a right wing talking point Obama hasn't rushed to embrace?
I noted earlier today, Barack digs his heels to defend Republican talking points, but not to oppose Republican talking points. His diary here, Tone, Truth and the Democratic Party, provides a lens for this odd pattern. Obama explicitly rejects showing "spine" in pitched partisan battles, but now, he's more than happy to show spine criticizing his own side.
Gore and Kerry alienated the country? No they did not. The GOP is almost entirely responsible for the poisoned political atmosphere, and this alleged alienation will not stop until we punch the playground bullies in the nose. Only then will we have a measure of civility.
Seriously, WTF?
(I won't be here for long, I'm going out with trial lawyers. Seriously.)