'Mugged by Reality'

The American right has been frighteningly out of touch with reality for the past year. So it's not surprising to hear Abe Greenwald at NRO claim that Obama's Nobel speech was a 'shift' that demonstrates Obama has been 'mugged by reality.'

Which is funny because it shows the exact opposite. It shows conservatives have come back to earth, however briefly, and now are now standing confused, blinking in the sunlight. Their reaction confirms the obvious: they're are not paying attention. They see in Obama what they've wanted to see, not what actually existed.

The speech is not a shift and it is not a pivot. This is who Obama is and has been for the last year. To anyone listening, this speech was nothing new. Obama has governed from the middle since day one. During the campaign, he made clear his intent in Afghanistan. He made clear who his political influences are, especially his affinity for Reinhold Niebuhr. He has made clear he is not against war, just dumb wars.

Maybe conservatives will stay with us this time, but my guess is that they'll be on the next quixotic Red Dawn-inspired fantasy in no time.