Wednesday, March 10, 2010

In what may well be the shortest hiatus in the history of blogging, I simply had a change of heart.

Yes, again.

As my friend, Dr. E. pointed out, there is just so much insanity in the world, and if I can make it a little simpler for just one person (which sometimes seems to be the sum total of my readership), then I gotta do what I gotta do. And unlike the character on House, M.D., this past Monday night, I'm not really ready to give up all this fame and fortune.

So, let's roll...

I was reading a blog post today by theblogprof. I've come across his work in the past and he pretty much echoes many of the same points I write about. However, I did take exception to a video he posted regarding Obama's lack of honesty.

Look, I do believe that the President has been quite dishonest since his presidential asperations took hold. However, not everything he has said is a lie. Furthermore, it works against us conservatives when we make something out to be his dishonesty, when it clearly isn't anything quite that cut and dry.

The video in question, which I am linking here, shows Candidate Obama speaking about the ban of partial birth abortions. In it, Obama states that he is against PBA and always has been (regardless of his votes against the "born-alive amendment" in the Illinois House). However, the video then cuts to then-State Senator Obama, who admits he voted against the partial birth abortion ban.

From the looks of it, it does appear that the President again is lying. And as much as I do not like the man, nor his leftist politics, I just can't bring myself to criticize him for lying here - because even though we really don't know what he believes (that's what happens when you lie habitually), his reason for opposing the ban has nothing to do with whether or not he is for it or against it.

In the video, Obama explains that the reason he opposed the ban was NOT because he's for PBA, but that the ban would not pass the constitutionality test, since it makes no exception for the health of the mother.

During the Bush years, there were a number of bills that came across the President's desk that failed to be signed, not because the idea was bad, but because the bill was faulty. How many times have we seen Senators and Congressmen vote for, or against a bill in return for a quid pro quo? Many times, a politician will vote against something he even proposed, if a part of the original bill was changed. In poli-speak, this is the reason many Presidents (most notably Ronald Reagan) fought for a "line-item veto." That would allow the President to sign the part of the bill he liked, and disregard the others.

I have no problem with someone calling Obama a liar, because he has proven very loose with his promises - even more than most politicians. However, if conservatives start calling everything the President says a lie, it just dilutes the argument and makes us look silly in the eyes of the very voters we need to win elections.

When Conservatives start acting like Democrats, we seriously tarnish the Republican brand.

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