Many moons ago when I was in college, I walked into one of my friend's room. Greg "Ox" Haigh and Allen Borden looked at me to continue their discussion asking: "Who do you think is the better catcher Carlton Fisk or Johnny Bench?" Anyone who knows me knows I love baseball and can argue the stats of the game for hours upon end.
I responded "Wow, I don't know which one is better." Ox looked at me and said "That is worse than choosing Johnny Bench". We know who he thought was the better catcher....
Barack Obama did exactly the same thing in his responses at Saddleback Church. For those of you who missed the news, McCain and Obama were invited to come to Saddleback Church and the pastor there, Rick Warren who is a popular author, asked them questions. The interviews were back to back, not at the same time.
One question was essentially: when does a fetus become a baby? McCain immediatey said upon conception. Obama's response was troubling to me. He said that this answer was "above his paygrade".
That answer seemed more like a dodgeball to me than an actual answer. And if Obama does become president, what else would be above his paygrade?
Granted this would not be on the same level as Bench vs. Fisk, but then what is?
For the first time in this election, I am leaning toward one side. That side is the man who answered the question not the one who was concerned that an answer to a difficult issue is above his paygrade.
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3 comments:
NARAL gives Obama a lifetime 100% voting approval record. He has not legislated like someone who has struggled with this question for many years, but as someone who has either (a) been convinced all along that fetuses don't have rights, or (b) understood that he has a base to appeal to. Pay grade my ass.
Pro-choice is a position that many millions of Americans take. Obama should be honest in explaining that he wholeheartedly shares that position, instead of pandering to evangelicals with wordplay.
I'm not the world's biggest McCain fan (although I will be if he shocks me and takes Palin), but the man understood his audience over the weekend. Nothing wrong with a simple, clear answer. Ox would have approved.
So, Obama tried to please his audience by choosing not to choose. He must not have received the memo…choosing no side is far worse than choosing an unpopular one. And a pathetic copout is not easily overlooked. How do you support a presidential candidate that won’t choose a side? Although I am not a McCain fan, I understand that we need a president that can make a stand and stick with it. (Even George W. knows how to do THAT!) Obama, I am VERY disappointed.
I agree with Obama's response. President's do not decide abortion issues, supreme court justices do it.
His comment regarding "above his pay grade" was glib, however.
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