“There is no Jesse Jackson wing of the Democratic party anymore. We are the center,” he said.

Kos also scoffed at the online efforts of conservatives to get organized. He noted that the major differences between blogs of the right and blogs of the left is that the left builds communities of like minded activists on their sites, encouraging argument and debate, while most of the top conservative sites believe themselves to be “pundits” who want nothing more than to be accepted by the mainstream media. And he believes that the GOP is “reluctant to embrace the new media” as evidenced by their hand wringing over the YouTube debate.

AN ODD CLOSE. As the Military and Progressives panel came to an end, a young man in uniform stood up to argue that the surge was working, and cutting down on Iraqi casualties. The moderator largely freaked out. When other members of the panel tried to answer his question, he demanded they "stand down." He demanded the questioner give his name, the name of his commander, and the name of his unit. And then he closed the panel, no answer offered or allowed, and stalked off the stage,

Wes Clark took the mic and tried to explain what had just occurred: The argument appears to be that you're not allowed to participate in politics while wearing a uniform, or at least that you shouldn't, and that the questioner was engaging in a sort of moral blackmail, not to mention a violation of the rules, by doing so. Knowing fairly little about the army, I can't speak to any of that. But it was an uncomfortable few moments, and seemed fairly contrary to the spirit of the panel to roar down the member of the military who tried to speak with a contrary voice.

What he thinks he has going for him: He is still breathing ...