Cockburn has always been a “leftist”, but at the same time has never shown himself to be a supporter of rampant authoritarianism. Counterpunch has praised Bob Barr in the past, and they have criticised him also. This Google Search may offer illumination.

Lastly, a note to Fred Church Ortiz: Fred, I’m an old-school troll, please refrain from offering up blatant targets of opportunity: “Cockburn has a pair”. I’m just a human, and can resist temptation only so far. I once attempted to reference a Cockburn article posting a response at Media Matters For America, and it kept getting refused by their ridiculous censoring software. It took me almost 1/2 hr to realise the offending term was the author’s name…

http://www.dissidentvoice.org/

I like DV because they allow comments, which CP does not.

and here is this actual existing socialist in the US blog

http://socnet.net/blogs/doumakes/

Any or all of these (CP and DV seem the more serious, more thurough choices) would go well toward filling out IPR’s blog roll! Just a suggstion.

The thing abt this Nader campaign, like I’ve said before; had he had his shit together to do this in ’96, we’d be in a whole different world. Now, it all seems a bit late in the game.

And, had McKinney not done a Perot, and dropped out last September, and then come back in, she would have a hell of a lot more momentum then she does now.

And the Barr campaign, not really doing as was hoped.

I think Barr and McKinney (and Nader in ’00) are good examples of the perils of people sympathetic to, but not active in, a political party being then nominated by a party that hopes to make use of their cleberity to build the party; hasn’t worked out so well. Better had these folks built a new party, or run as a coalition (no not the much vaunted, and much dreaded, “Progressive Alliance”.) candidate.

Again, this also seems to me a good reason to get people elected from with in the party to local and then congressial seats. Of course, that’s who Matt Gonzalez was supposed to be for the Greens?

Why did Obama chose Biden? One important constituency pressing for Biden was no doubt the Israel lobby inside the Democratic Party. Obama, no matter how fervent his proclamations of support for Israel, has always been viewed with some suspicion by the lobby. For half the lifespan of the state of Israel, Biden has proved himself its unswerving acolyte in the senate.

Cockburn has a pair.