Tell me I heard this wrong: Obama WANTS to piss off the Left?

Summary: Last night on Countdown, Keith Olbermann spoke with CNBC's Chief Washington Correspondent John Harwood about John McCain and Barack Obama.  And I found myself in another one of those instances where I hoped and prayed that I misheard the statement made...that statement being, "Barack Obama loves to get attacked from the Left on being too moderate on the War on Terrorism."

Tell me I misheard this, or tell me Mr. Harwood is smoking something.

  Here's the video:

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  And at 2:27, here's the quote:

OLBERMANN: Obama kicked the Left in the teeth on telecom immunity.
HARWOOD: Exactly so.  Barack Obama loves to get attacked from the Left on being too moderate on the War on Terrorism.  And there have been other things, Keith, too, where he's tried to make signals to the Middle, saying, "I'm a free trader."...saying he might cut corporate taxes...saying he might delay some of those tax increases on the wealthy.  All of that is aimed on telling swing-voters you cannot put Obama in a far-left box, or paint him as a rigid ideologue.

  So there are several paths I can choose from.  #1...I can assume I misheard Mr. Harwood's statement.  But I can't explain to myself how that's the case.  #2...I can assume Mr. Harwood is on the peyote.  After all, here are other quotes from this interview:

1:47

HARWOOD: And I think one of the realities of this campaign year is that Republicans do not hate Barack Obama.  It's not going to be easy to demonize him.  And by the same token, Democrats don't hate John McCain.

  Comment: "Not going to be easy to demonize him?"  We are talking about Barack "blackMuslimterrorist" Obama, right?

3:55

HARWOOD: Well, it's very difficult for them (the Obama people) to impeach John McCain's reputation as a maverick...

  Comment: If the Obama people are as useless as some of our DC Democrats in Congress, then yes, it'll be difficult for them to smack down the "maverick" reputation.  As for the non-useless Left, they seem all too capable of doing just that.  Go to Media Matters.  Hell, go to John Cusack's Moveon ad.

  Path #3 for me to take...John Harwood is absolutely correct in his statement of Obama's mentality.  And if that's the case, where to begin?
  Okay, let's try this: if "the Left" is the only group in this country that wants to uphold the rule of law and prevent our government from going further down the road to tyranny, then frankly the majority of people in this country deserve George W. Bush, and they'll deserve John McCain.  But forgive me if I'm not that cynical.  After all, I doubt that the Messiah-in Chief's poll numbers are that low simply because he no speak good.
  Next point: as much as Mr. Obama is going to want his legacy to be defined by what he creates while in office, it'll also be defined by how he deals with the metaphorical time-bombs that Mr. Bush has placed in the White House.  And when those bombs go off, month after month, year after year, who exactly does Mr. Obama think is going to defend him during those times?
  Does anyone honestly think that Mr. Bush's supporters are going to blame Mr. Bush for the problems that will arise as our forces are (rightfully) pulled out of Iraq?  Or are they just going to assume that, "If only a Republican had been in the White House, Iraq would be a paradise by now.  Damn that Obama for screwing everything up."
  I'm not saying that the majority of Leftwingers will be so petty as to throw Mr. Obama to the wolves as he dodges yet another of Mr. Bush's bombs.  Though given those Clinton/Obama supporters who, several months ago, said they'd vote for McCain out of nothing but anger that their Democrat didn't become the nominee, I imagine that will be a factor.
  But my main point is that, when one of Mr. Bush's metaphorical bombs goes off, instinct will kick in.  Those who don't like Mr. Obama will instinctively attack.  Those who adore Mr. Obama will instinctively rush to his aid.  Those who like Mr. Obama, but not as much as they could due to him betraying them in order to gain the favor of the Middle or the Right, will come to his aid too...but a little less effectively than they're capable of due to resentment over that previous betrayal.
  This isn't a threat, merely a statement of inevitable consequences.  And finally, while I assume that Mrs. Clinton lost the nomination due, in part, to sexism, does Mr. Obama or his people honestly think that her actual policies had nothing to do with her losing?  Supporting the invasion of Iraq?  Claiming that she supported it because she was fooled by the most incompetent liars in Washington?  Saber-rattling with Iran?  This had nothing to do with her losing?
  You didn't have to be a Leftwinger to see how wrong these things were, but the Left seems to currently be quicker at spotting these errors than the Right.  So I don't think it's terribly prudent to treat the Left as a bunch of screaming banshees whose attacks should be used to gain the favor of people who've been wrong on so many issues.

  And if Mr. Obama and his people aren't this foolish (which I'm assuming, though I refuse to blindly trust them), and John Harwood is just on the peyote, I apologize.