Obama & Hillary: 'Idealism, not leftism'

Opinions: 'Idealism, not leftism' by Robert Reich | Prospect Magazine March 2008 issue 144: "Hillary Clinton is no leftist. As a senator, she voted in favour of Bush's Iraq war resolution in 2002, and, more recently, in favour of certifying Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation. She wants universal healthcare, but won't support a 'single-payer' plan like Britain's NHS, which is the best way to control medical costs. She won't commit to raising taxes on the rich to finance social programmes, except for rolling back the Bush tax cuts. She won't even pay the large, looming cost of the baby boomers' social security by raising the portion of income subject to social security taxes."

Obamania may not signal a big shift to the left—but at least it is inspiring Americans again