In comments here, and in blog posts elsewhere, the lecturing of "the Left", led by Chait, has been boiled down to their personal view of President Obama's accomplishments. For example, Andrew Sullivan writes:

Chait notes how systemic and eternal liberal disenchantment is, and how congenitally useless Democrats are in rallying round a leader, even one who has achieved so much in such a short time. [. . .] (Memo to the left: universal healthcare was achieved under Obama). But much of this is the usual Democratic limpness and whininess. [. . .] If I hear one more gripe about single payer from someone in their fifties with a ponytail, I'll scream.

Universal healthcare was achieved? Why are we not celebrating? Maybe because not everyone thinks ACA has done that. Indeed, I recall a certain "wonky pundit" telling us Obama was a "moderate Republican" whose health plan was based on GOP ideas. More . . .

The Supercommittee explains its failure to reach an agreement on budget cuts and tax increases:

Both sides used remarkably similar language to describe their frustrations. A Democrat involved in the negotiations said: “We made a reasonable offer and got nothing in return. We got naked in the room. Republicans are standing there in overcoats, hats and gloves and are toasty warm.”

A Republican aide, who believed Mr. Toomey made a good-faith proposal and got nothing from Democrats in return, said a few days later: “We showed some leg. The Democrats want us to get completely naked.”

Maybe they should have met at the shvitz.

(Photo: Mark Kauffman,Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images, Apr 01, 1948)

Former FBI Director Louis Freeh will lead the independent sexual abuse investigation into Penn State.

At a news conference, Freeh stressed it is not a criminal investigation. If they uncover what they believe to be criminal acts, they will notify authorities and let them deal with it.

Freeh said the investigation might extend back to 1975, two years before Jerry Sandusky started Second Mile.

Freeh was chosen because of his background in child sex abuse cases and his lack of connection to Penn State and Pennsylvania.

Jon Chait regurgitates his article on "why liberals should not be disappointed in Obama" (in other news, Pat Caddell and Doug Schoen regurgitate their "Obama should not run for reelection" article.) I scanned the first two pages and saw nothing new, so I stopped reading.

I'll regurgitate my old line on why there is seemingly a significant amount of disappointment on the Left in President Obama -- his supporters believed he was really a progressive, unlike that Third Way/DLC Hillary Clinton. You read it here a lot - "not a dime's worth of difference" on policy. Obama supporters (I mean emotional supporters, I supported Obama because I thought he was the most electable of 2 candidates who were basically the same on policy) wanted and did believe otherwise. They were wrong. Now they are disappointed. Not surprising really.

There, I saved you the 10 minutes you would have taken to reread Chait's lecture on why you should not be disappointed in President Obama.

E.J. Dionne:

Everyone on the left side of American politics, from the near end to the far end, has advice for Occupy Wall Street. I’m no exception. But it’s useful to acknowledge first that this movement has accomplished things that the more established left didn’t.

Who wants to read about an informant-induced, non-operational terror plot in NYC that never was going to get off the ground when you can watch Homeland? It's much more compelling and about as real as the chances of a "lone wolf" pulling off a terror attack under the watchful, ever-present eye of the NYPD.

They were watching him for two years. Here's the Complaint. His website, which was being monitored, is trueislam. Here's his You Tube page. The informant was in this with Pimanetel -- they purchased stuff together and started building the bomb together at the informant's apartment, according to the complaint. Contrary to news reports (sloppy reporting), the complaint clearly states Pimentel was arrested with the components at the informant's apartment, not his own. They could have stopped this at any time.

The Inspire Magazine article (it's not a manual) has been all over the web since 2010. (Anyone can buy the Anarchist's Cookbook on Amazon -- there's even a Kindle version.)

Was it important to stop Pimentel? Of course. Did NY dodge an imminent bullet? Hardly.

Also on tonight: A new Next Iron Chef and Boardwalk Empire.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

The mini-bus spending bill passed by Congress and signed by Obama is chock-full of law enforcement and prison spending -- $27.4 billion, including increases of $4 billion for the FBI, DEA, ATF and Marshal's Service. The FBI gets an additional $1.1 billion "for new initiatives in national security, surveillance, violent crime and cyber security." The Senate removed a provision that a portion had to go to something called "special surveillance groups." But the DEA is getting $10 million to expand the El Paso Intelligence Center. There's $90 million for prison construction. (Start on page 234.)

It also has detainee and abortion-funding restrictions for female prisoners. (Sections 202-204.) And it tells the Bureau of prisons it can't spend money on cable TV services or videos for inmate recreational purposes. [More...]

WaPo:

The congressional committee tasked with reducing the federal deficit is poised to admit defeat as soon as Monday, and its unfinished business will set up a year-end battle over emergency jobless benefits and an expiring payroll tax holiday.

While wasting most of the year on a non-existent "deficit crisis," the Beltway has ignored the jobs crisis. This neglect is brought into stark relief by what they think they need to do in December:

A great article on how police brutality became the standard procedure for policing protests.

Open Thread.

Sometimes "what is standard procedure" is the scandal:

Charles J. Kelly, a former Baltimore Police Department lieutenant who wrote the department's use of force guidelines, said pepper spray is a "compliance tool" that can be used on subjects who do not resist, and is preferable to simply lifting protesters. "When you start picking up human bodies, you risk hurting them," Kelly said. "Bodies don't have handles on them."

After reviewing the video, Kelly said [. . .] "What I'm looking at is fairly standard police procedure[.]"

(Emphasis supplied.)Worth noting this from former Baltimore cop and John Jay College of Criminal Justice sociologist Peter Moskos:

The Davis Faculty Association calls for ouster of UC-Davis Chancellor:

The DFA Board calls for the immediate resignation of Chancellor Katehi. The Chancellor’s authorization of the use of police force to suppress the protests by students and community members speaking out on behalf of our university and public higher education generally represents a gross failure of leadership. Given the recent use of excessive force by police against “occupy” protestors at UC Berkeley and elsewhere, the Chancellor must have anticipated that, by authorizing police action, she was effectively authorizing their use of excessive force against peaceful UCD student protestors. The Chancellor’s role is to enable open and free inquiry, not to suppress it. We also call for a policy that will end the practice of forcibly removing non-violent student, faculty, staff, and community protestors by police on the UC Davis campus. The University of California should be taking a leadership role in encouraging the exercise of free speech, not in suppressing it.

Sacramento Bee:

The UC Davis chancellor called Saturday for a review of the events that led to 10 arrests and pepper spraying of apparently non-violent protestors on the campus Friday. [. . .]A task force review and report "will help inform our policies and process within the university administration and the UC Davis Police Department to help us avoid similar outcomes in the future," Katehi's statement said.

Better work quick because:

The students, meanwhile, expect to return to the quad in greater numbers Monday[.]

Chancellor's "letter" to the university community:

As indicated in various videos, the police used pepper spray against the students who were blocking the way. The use of pepper spray as shown on the video is chilling to us all and raises many questions about how best to handle situations like this.

(Emphasis supplied.) The Chancellor's spokesperson was not "chilled" by the use of pepper spray and the head of the campus police was PRESENT when the pepper spray was used and remarked that her people did a great job. Obviously the "chill" the Chancellor identifies appears to have evolved after the reaction she felt from the criticism she has received.