Cutting through the clutter

Time magazine's Joe Klein recently completed a coast-to-coast road trip along the byways of America. The essence of his observations:

There isn't as much of the fist-shaking anger as I expected. There is a minority in this country--perhaps 30%--who are furious and terrified and think that Barack Obama is a secret Muslim-socialist--but most people, even those who disagree with him and disapprove of his performance, admire the effort and seriousness of this President. There is, however, a tremendous disconnect between what people are concerned about and what Washington--and the media--seem to think is important.

The number Klein puts on certifiable nut jobs strikes me as too high. But that quibble aside, I think he's taken an accurate pulse of the current national mood. Glad somebody leaned over the fence to talk to everyday people.