Until now, I've refrained from posting on this topic, because I didn't feel like I had anything to add. However, this new quote from Senator Obama has pressed me into action:
"FISA, wasn't a shift in position, but the best compromise, that was available at the moment".
I remain a strong Obama supporter, as well as an admirer, but that does not make this comment or his position acceptable. Senator Obama can word it any way he wants, but his attempts to spin away from perceptions of a a "shift" amount to nothing more than the standard "white lies" that every politician uses regularly. Contrast the above quote with the one below from just a few months ago.
"I will support a filibuster against any FISA bill that contains retroactive immunity."
(sorry, I couldn't find the exact quote and date quickly enough - the expression of intent and certainty is completely accurate.)
There is absolutely no way to reconcile that unequivocal promise with his current position.
The problems with FISA go beyond Telecom Amnesty, but the latter is an easily digested and identifiable place to start. However, the other (more important) flaws in the law mean Obama's cooperation with the effort to strip immunity from the bill is more symbolic than substantive. By promising to work to strip the bill of its telecom amnesty provisions immediately after destroying his leverage for that fight with his unconditional vow to vote for passage of the bill, he managed to convert even this anemic gesture into an insulting charade.
This is not some minor and negotiable issue - or cannot be if one views the viability, integrity, and primacy of the constitution of the United States as the defining core principle that binds us as a nation.
There are plenty of areas for compromise and give and take. His "faith based initiatives" may be one example. But the Constitution is not a bargaining chip.
That is true, no matter what position you assume on the "political spectrum." Senator Obama may think he can spin this issue away, or defuse it with non-sequiter disclaimers, but if that is the case, I'm afraid he is sorely mistaken.
The vote from people like me is secure. He may already have adequate funding in place. But we are not the Democrats in Congress, and we will not just lay down and allow our representativeswho are there cooperate with the continued destruction of the Constitution and the Rule of Law in this country.
If Obama wants to start his administration on an adversarial basis with his core supporters, that is his prerogative. But I fail to see the wisdom or courage in that path.
Thank you for allowing me a forum to express my sentiments, even when they are in conflict with the campaign.
Comments are closed for this post.
