Its sadly funny how the progressives came to power just as the progressive agenda of building a European-style socialist state is unraveling. Years ago prescient people like Reagan warned against "creeping socialism" and Thatcher said "the problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money". But true believers in the socialist/progressive program wouldn't hear those warnings. Instead, they continued to pursue their plan until the inevitable occurred -- unsustainable debt and impending economic collapse.

The Europeans prided themselves on pursuing the "third way" -- a system between what they perceived as "cut-throat capitalism" and Soviet-style authoritarianism. But their "third way" is crumbling. For the leftists, this collapse is a disaster not unlike the revelations in the 1950's that the Soviet Union was not the "future that works". I refer here to the Kruschev speech that acknowledged the evils of Stalinism. True believers in the West were rocked by these admissions because they had long held up the USSR's system as a shining example of true socialism.

Perhaps some leftists and progressives will snap out of their stupor and realize that their program is fatally flawed. But for many, I suspect, the state of denial will continue. When someone's cherished world view is threatened, he violently opposes those who speak the truth. Just think of the many who even today refuse to believe that people like Alger Hiss really were communist agents and traitors.

The attempts to destroy Sarah Palin were, before Obama got elected, the actions of leftist/progressive true believers who feared their long-sought march to power was threatened. But now it will get even worse because the very reasons they wanted power -- to build a European-style socialist state -- is proving to be an unworkable mistake. Reality is a b*tch.