In the realm of practical politics, the left (by which we mean the Democratic Party) clearly has a non-cosmetic problem (as Josh puts it) with respect to national security in the age of Islamist terrorism.
But what isn't being mentioned is that, with respect to the broader struggle for ideas, the left is effectively as adrift as it has been since the death of socialism in the past couple of decades.
What animated the cold war left to no small degree was the dream of a democratic, socialist state, and that dream is more than a little dead for most. This is a chief part of the reason why liberals can't muster much enthusiasm for some kind of millenial crusade against Islamist evil.
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