The Washington Post gathered several contributors for an August 30 "Topic A" feature headlined, "How Can President Obama Regain His Political Footing?"

The list of contributors, though, leaned well to the right. There were six high-profile Republicans and/or conservatives: Newt Gingrich, Christine Todd Whitman, Dan Schnur, Ed Rogers and Ed Gillespie.  There were three Democrats: former Mondale staffer Michael Berman, Gore campaign manager Donna Brazile and Harold Ford of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council. Two others--a pollster and a Harvard professor--were also included, neither of whom offered a discernible  ideological viewpoint.

At a time when many progressives are expressing disappointment at Obama's policies so far, it's striking that the Post wouldn't give space to that point of view, especially in a debate about how Obama can reverse his political fortunes. Perhaps that's because the idea that Obama should move to the left is considered unthinkable in elite media, where progressives exist mainly as an example of the kinds of folks Democratic politicians should avoid.

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