The American Spectator

Obama, a former constitutional law instructor, had similar difficulty expressing a coherent position on the Second Amendment. In response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the District of Columbia’s handgun ban, Obama said: “I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through common-sense, effective safety measures. The Supreme Court has now endorsed that view…”

Except that Obama had previously endorsed the constitutionality of the D.C. handgun ban, the very same policy the Supreme Court was finding unconstitutional. This suggests that there is at least some distance between Obama’s interpretation of the Second Amendment and the Court’s.

In one of his few non-rhetorical differences with the netroots, Obama voted to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act with many provisions civil libertarians oppose. He tried to reassure his supporters by promising to “work with Chris Dodd, Jeff Bingaman and others in an effort to remove” immunity for telecom companies that cooperated with the Bush administration’s surveillance program. And he did vote for an amendment that would strip such immunity.

Except that he did so once it became clear the legislation would pass without the amendment. Obama had once vowed to filibuster any FISA legislation that gave immunity to the telecom companies. Instead he voted for such legislation.

Obama may be a political genius, but logically consistent policymaking doesn’t seem to be his strong suit. Either that or he just doesn’t think the voters are very bright.