Liberal moral superiority.

Ace of Spades has this interesting observation, among others, about the psychological underpinnings of liberals:

When progressives talk about the oppressed . . . have no doubt-- they're mostly talking about themselves. They are the ones who are concerned, who worry for the fate of this Republic. To borrow [LGF Jeff] Goldstein's schtick-- the text of their expressions of outrage and compassion is merely a complex system of signifiers for the true authorial intent, the subtext, or maybe even the supertext, that they are among the chosen.

Bush lied, people died. Message: I care.

* * * *

And looking at the unhinged rantings of the left-wing of the blogosphere, and left-wing poltiicians and pundits, I simply cannot accept that all we're talking about is politics here.

Ace has a lot else to say about the need of leftists to believe that they are intellectual and enlightened simply by virtue of believing the right things.

Dr. Sanity has this related observation:

Military action [by semi-literate, oafish, evil U.S. military] is never good enough, fast enough, tidy enough, perfect enough for them.

Let there be a single wartime civilian casualty, let any sparrow fall, and it's time for the left to go crazy. The possible value of a successful national military effort and the fundamental decency of the nation that put the troops in the field are ignored once the news of some transgression reaches the screechers. An imperfection has been found. Let there hyperfocus on the imperfection and, above all, let there be surrender and withdrawal. We must have yet another act in the time-honored leftist Passion Play: Cut and Run.

What did these people think when during WWII "precision" bombing meant a half-mile swath of high explosive?

Perfection is possible. Imperfect results are what non leftists (i.e., idiots) choose because they are obtuse and malign.

Oddly, patently horrendous enemies and their barbarisms are given a pass. Why? Because they too oppose the people hated by the left and are therefore de facto allies in the pursuit of leftist goals.

"Why Does The Unhinged Left So Hate Jeff Goldstein?." By Ace of Spades HQ, 5/31/06 (emphasis added) <-- "More Hysteria." By Dr. Sanity.