Over the last, say, ten days, I noticed progressives were intensifying their proposals for an Obama counterterrorism agenda. So I wrote up the leftward edge of counterterrorism policy for the Washington Independent. Welcome to a recalibration of liberty and security.

Yet while liberals have spent much of this time opposing the Bush administration’s agenda, many of their proposals for Obama go beyond merely rolling back President George W. Bush’s policies — withdrawing from Iraq, shuttering the Guantanamo Bay detention complex, abolishing torture — to offer new areas of emphasis, like stabilizing Afghanistan, an Arab-Israeli peace and a re-envisioned balance between security and liberty.

It’s not actually that lame! Sometimes lede-writing is a troublesome thing. Check out, for instance, Taylor Marsh’s plan for Afghanistan:

Taylor Marsh, a progressive political analyst and former radio host, also urged a renewed counterterrorism focus in South Asia. “Counterterrorism in the Obama administration has to begin with the Af-Pak region immediately,” she said, referring the to Pashtun areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. “First, we need limited additional deployment of forces into Afghanistan. Afghan cities must be made more stable, through working with NATO countries, or we’re going to have more problems not fewer with regard to terrorism. Because focusing on Pakistan alone, the jihadists will simply cross the border where we’re not building security. The Af-Pak region deals with two countries of varying complexities and unique challenges for Obama — but neither country can be dealt with in a vacuum.”

What is she, Ahmed Rashid n’ shit? Yezzzur. This is progressive counterterrorism.