Our choice, last fall, was between an angry 73 year old with a legislative record far from consistently conservative, who nominated as his running mate a know-nothing religious extremist; on the other side was an appealing, thoughtful man who–for a brief shining moment–seemed to be more than the sum of his ideological parts.

If I had to vote all over again, I’d pull the same lever. Maybe I’m obtuse. Or maybe I just haven’t yet entirely given up on the old audacity of hope.

Meanwhile, my fellow elitist David Brooks has issued a clarion call to moderates of all persuasion to rally to prevent Obama from ruining what’s left of the U.S. economy. Let us march!