Category: 2008 Election

Over at Volokh.  McCain most definitely fits the mold of “National Greatness” conservative, and what National Greatness conservatives always forget is that it’s liberty that made this country great.

Rachel Lucas wonders how they ever managed to get by.

Hillary claimed she was subject to it in Bosnia.  Now she claims she misspoke.  Ahab thinks she’s just lying.  I think so too.  I’m pretty sure if I was ever under live sniper fire, that image would be seared… seared into my memory.

Wyatt has it.  I think one of Obama’s great appeals was the fact that he didn’t seen to practice the politics of race.  For many, no doubt, he represented absolution from America’s original sin.  After the revelations of Reverend Wright, I think that’s over.  America is probably ready to elect a black president, but probably not one that makes race an issue.

Marshall Manson thinks it’s unfair to castigate Obama for the things his pastor said:

I go to church, and like Senator Obama, I’ve sat quietly in my seat listening to my pastor say things which with I’ve disagreed, oftentimes strongly. But that doesn’t mean that I believe him to be any less a man of God.

God is perfect. Men are fallible. Which means men like Pastor Wright are fallible, too. Pastor Wright brought Barrack Obama closer to God. That’s his life’s purpose. He is not a man of politics. That’s Senator Obama’s territory. And to hold Senator Obama responsible for Pastor Wright’s views is, in my view, totally unfair.

Cam Edwards disagrees with Marshall.  Jim Geraghty jumps in as well.  I have to side with Cam and Jim on the issue.  I could probably stand to hear one or two whacked out things from my pastor, but I doubt I’d stay at a church with a pastor that said the things Wright has said.  Disagreement I can tolerate, but based on Wright’s statements, it’s hard for me to avoid coming to the conclusion that he hates his country, and quite possibly a lot of the people in it.  If Obama is content to be around that message, and associate it with his campaign, I think it’s appropriate to ask whether he’s the right person to represent all americans, whether they be black, white, hispanic or jew.

… old enough to buy a beer, is what I say.   But Obama doesn’t think so.

Well folks, it looks pretty good that we’re going to win on Heller.  If I were a betting man, I’d put money on it.  Not a guarantee, but the odds look pretty good.  But go back and listen to the oral arguments; who are the justices that most are supporting us in the questioning?

1. Justice Scalia – Appointed by Ronald Reagan
2. Justice Thomas – Appointed by George H.W. Bush
3. Justice Alito – Appointed by George W. Bush
4. Justice Roberts – Appointed by George W. Bush
5. Justice Kennedy – Appointed by Ronald Reagan

This should give you all some idea of the importance of elections.  Where do you think we’d be on the Heller case if Al Gore or John Kerry had won in 2000 and 2004 respectively?  Given that none of these justices seemed to express support for a really robust second amendment right in the quesetioning, at least one that would make all of us happy, how do you think the right will be constructed in subsequent cases before The Court if we just let Obama or Hillary select the next two, possibly three justices to put on the high court?

For all my complaints about George W. Bush on the gun issue, and despite my blief that Bush is hardly to be considered a conservative, we would not be looking at a very strong possibility of winning this case if gun owners had not put him in the oval office in 2000/2004.  We actually need a stronger court, not just at the Supreme Court level, but at the circuit court level too, for the cases which will inevitably be fought after this.  I think Heller will be decided narrowly.   If we want to fight the next battles and win, and avoid getting an individual right without meaning, we need to make sure McCain is in the oval office in 2008.