Speciies? you gotta be kidding.

[Rduke55]

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It doesn't make much/any sense to refer to species

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We're really talking about different things and different questions, but where I disagree strongly with you is the usefulness and reality of species as a distinct category.
And here is where our argument lies. "Species" is an essential concept in evolutionary study.

Just to be clear, you agree that if we took a census of all the sexually reproducing multicelled organisms on the planet (species for other organisms is a whole other, ugly question) most of them could be classified into distinct, interbreeding groups that are infertile with other groups?

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Carrying over the helpful, if blurry, species category in a 'slice of time' as you mentioned into lineage discussion seems careless or confusing and/or unhelpful or whatever

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It's really, really not, because of their unique evolutionary history after divergence. "Helpful" is a huge understatement.

I think this reading of Dawkins often sets up somewhat of a a straw man for many people. People read that and are all like "Stupid biologists, they don't have a clue as to what they're doing. Species. Pshaw." when we agree with all that tracing back diffiulties, transition problems, etc.