Another Angel Spreads Her Wings

Melissa McEwan of Shakespeare's Sister, the other blogger who had been hired by the John Edwards campaign, has now also resigned. Her post is at her old site, where presumably she will be returning to writing again. If it's swamped the way Amanda's was last night, then Chris Bowers has posted the whole thing at MyDD, along with a very understandable expression of frustration over this incident:

Clearly, the right is able to attack us with impunity. Japanesse internment justifying Michelle Malkin goes on the air to bash Marcotte and McEwan, while the people who read Malkin's blog send death and rape threats to them. And even the media reports on the matter make the Michelle Malkin's of the world look like the sane hero in this situation, while Marcotte and McEwan are evil. And then a bunch of Democrats, including a few commenters at MyDD, will give Malkin, O'Reilly and Donohue cover for this by saying that Marcotte and McEwan were out of line. Rinse and repeat.

You know what? I don't want Hillary Clinton to apologize for her war vote anymore, because I am sick of Democrats apologizing.

I strongly support that attitude. I doubt that any campaign consultants do. Unfortunately, Melissa herself doesn't seem to agree, since she writes:

I understand that there will be progressive bloggers who feel I am making the wrong decision, and I offer my sincerest apologies to them. One of the hardest parts of this decision was feeling as though I'm letting down my peers, who have been so supportive.

She has my sympathy and best wishes, but I don't need her apology. You do what you can, and if it isn't cost-effective, stop. No problem, Melissa. Make us proud on your uncensored site.

Listen, non-reactionary and un-moderate webworld (no, I coined that one just now!), sometimes, don't you just hunger for some moral certainty on our side? A candidate who will take the Patrick Henry approach and stand up proudly to say what we believe in is the truth, and if you are offended by reality, then you'll suffer the consequences you will bring on yourself, but I'm damned if you'll make me pretend to pay homage to your delusions!

It ain't Johnny, but he's very far from the worst this year. It ain't anyone I've heard yet. But I'm listening and willing to be convinced. And I'm willing to vote for a temporizing inoffensive triangulator if that's the best we can finally offer against the legions of Hell the Republicans will throw against us. I just think we have a better chance of winning if we throw back our head and say "make the most of it".

Let me know if you see any encouraging signs of such spine developing. Good luck, Melissa, now that you too are free to say whatever you want. Take a shot of nerve tonic and let it rip.