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The Washinton Post has a story about how the support of pro-lifers Sen. Robert Casey and former congressman Tim Roemer may help Obama in Pennsylvania. The article ruminates on the larger question of whether Obama could help find common ground on the abortion issue, but I don't think he will.

In the Compassion Forum last night, which I caught part of, Obama suggested that though the debate will at some point be irreconcilable, the "edge" could be taken off if Democrats were to do a better job acknowledging the moral issues involved and working to reduce unwanted pregnancies, even while holding firm to the idea that ultimately it should be up to the woman to decide.

But if you read the transcript from last night and compare Obama's response to what John Kerry said in one of the debates with President Bush in 2004, you cannot see much of a difference.

Obama has had a consistently pro-choice voting record, opposes parental notification laws, supports legalized partial birth abortion, and would appoint liberal Supreme Court justices who would vote to uphold Roe v. Wade, so I really don't see what's new here other than the packaging. And Obama's "punished with a baby" remark indicates that he isn't even all that rhetorically adroit at discussing the issue.

topics:
Abortion, Law, Supreme Court