"You know, it really is surprising, because I feel like it's a retro-debate that took place in the 1950s..."

Olympia Snowe said.

"It's sort of back to the future, isn't it? And it is surprising in the 21st century we would be revisiting this issue. And Sandra Fluke should have been commended, not condemned, for her courage in expressing her own views and beliefs before members of Congress."

Ironically, what feels retro to me is saying to a woman: good for you for your courage in expressing your own views. It sounds as though she thinks women are timorous, mentally deficient creatures. It sounds like the way you'd compliment a child for attempting to do something "adult." Merely doing it at all is an achievement, quite aside from the quality and value of the performance.

Speaking of retro... this takes me back to the 1700s, when Samuel Johnson said: "Sir, a woman's preaching is like a dog's walking on his hind legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all."

The difference is, Johnson thought he was being quite funny. Snowe is deadly serious. Insipid!

"Snowe's Gift To Obama."

An Andrew Sullivan blog post title.

Snowe or Joe, that is the question.

"It's starting to seem like it may just be better for Dems to try to make a deal with Olympia Snowe, kick Joe Lieberman out of the party and be done with it. The leadership in the senate thought that Lieberman was on board with the latest compromise. But in an appearance on Face the Nation and later in a sit-down with Sen. Reid, Lieberman said he'd join the Republican filibuster if the Medicare buy-in remained in the bill. What's most telling about Lieberman isn't his positions, which are not that much different from Sen. Nelson's and perhaps Sen. Lincoln's. It's more that he seems to keep upping the ante just when the rest of the caucus thinks they've got a deal."


Josh Marshall. Who thinks Lieberman "just doesn't seem to be negotiating in good faith."

"Senator Baucus has a big smile..."

"He must feel that his lengthy efforts have been rewarded by winning Senator Snowe’s support; think how grim this would look if she had gone the other way."