President Obama just made history. That was beautiful.

[IrishAyes]

224. I applaud your lofty intentions

and regret wherever I might have let you down. I try - whether it shows or not - to avoid 'kitchen sink' tactics, as they're generally a distraction at best. But just as there's a hazard called mission creep, human interaction tends to (let's call it) expand. The more people involved, the likelier things will spread. I'm sure you know that. What I'm not sure you're considering at this point is the absolute futility of rational dialog with pot stirrers. That indication of willingness to talk even a little is often just bait. Not hands reaching across the aisle. Bait.

I too would like to see a world where that isn't the case. But when I get the first whiff of a boatload of offal in the offing (your sniffer may differ), well, I don't play around with such people. At this point, after an incredibly stressful week of my own, I don't even remember exactly what first raised my hackles at this other person. But I will go back and re-read the entire thread to refresh my memory and further digest whatever is there to learn.

Unfortunately this past week, too much tends to make me think of my sister, whose every approach is little more than baiting. Besides JFK, even Paul Krugman admits there's no dealing with certain groups. President Obama's efforts at bipartisanship have been noble and sincere, but I question how much even he expected them to bear anything more than bitter fruit. The main value I see in his doomed efforts to effect actual, mutual benefits in that regard is how sharply it defined the GOP intractability. If HE can't lead them out of the forest, nobody can. Not his fault. Theirs. No honest, good faith negotiation possible with people hellbent on destruction.