Steamed over the congressional voting regarding the much-needed FISA reforms, Markos Moulitsas published a characteristically intemperate blog post where he called all the Democrats who voted with the Republican minority on the issue “cowards.” Wrote Markos,

For a bunch of people who want to strut around acting "tough", this crowd sure ran around like a whipped puppy once Big Bad Mr. 25% said "boo!" Scary!

Of course this is shameful and ridiculous, but it's also a helpful reminder that our efforts to transform our Democratic Party continue to be a long-term project.

Among the shameful company of solons who” strut around acting tough” but are closet cowards in Markos’ view is James Webb. Yes, you read that right. Markos Moulitsas called war-hero and authentic tough guy Jim Webb a coward because they disagree on FISA.

THERE IN A NUTSHELL is the problem of building a political movement where everything is intensely personal. Webb was the kind of politician who could knock off a lame incumbent like George Allen. Because he had served nobly in the military, in happier times the Netroots labeled him a “Fighting Dem”. He was (and is) smart and tough and intelligent.

But he wasn’t (and isn’t) a liberal lapdog. Anyone that knew anything about Jim Webb’s background had to know that he wasn’t going to be a reliable vote for American liberalism’s pet-causes, especially where national security is concerned. (And just wait until the Senate takes up gun control issues…) In spite of Webb’s well-documented hostility towards the president, he isn’t going to oppose anything and everything just because the president supports it.

By calling Webb a coward, Markos has provided a wonderful snapshot of the Fightin’ Netroot’s peculiar brand of politics of perpetual bile. The Netroots’ apparently plan on having the smallest big-tent in political history. Any deviance from the official party line will be greeted with a childish temper tantrum that will likely be obscene, ad hominem and absurd.

Exit question: Will Jim Webb take this kind of personal insult without responding?

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(Image from INDCJournal.com)