Barack Obama missed a golden opportunity last night to stand up and defend ACORN, a fabulous organization that is being unfairly vilified by the rightwing. When asked about his association with the group, Obama all but held his nose, verbally danced around the issue and — worse — left an impression that ACORN is somehow a disreputable organization. It is not. As the video below beautifully demonstrates, ACORN is an essential advocate for those who have been completely ignored during this election spectacle: The poor.

Obama’s refusal to say a kind or defensive word about the work of ACORN should be yet another warning about what an Obama presidency will look and act like. Hint: Think Clinton circa 1992. Like Clinton, Obama’s run to the right during this election season will not stop on January 20, 2009. What we see is what we’re going to get. And what we saw last night from Obama was nothing but pandering, middle of the road pap that only felt digestible by the fact that he was debating a desperate and unhinged man.

Besides ACORN, Obama also gave a big dope-slap to the anti-war movement last night. Did you notice, for example, that he never mentioned the Iraq War? I thought for sure he would mention it when he was being “pressed” by Bob Shieffer to name a program that he would cut if elected. But no such luck.

Oh yeah, it’s 1992 all over again. And as Obama — like Clinton — keeps dumping on the left, the left remains too drunk on the Kool-aid to notice.

Here’s the ACORN video: