Asked by Rick Warren who he would not have nominated to the
Supreme Court, Barack Obama named Clarence Thomas, arguing that he
wasn't a "strong enough jurist or legal mind" at the time he was
chosen -- an interesting argument coming from a man just a few
years removed from the state senate who thinks he's ready to be
president. Obama also said that while Scalia displays "intellectual
brilliance," he disagrees with him, and though John Roberts is
"compelling" and "thoughtful" he's too deferential to executive
power.
Overall, I think this Warren forum suits Obama well, in a
touchy-feely Oprah sort of way (he talked about the selfishness of
his teenage drug and alcohol use and cited Matthew to justify
liberal economic policies), but especially because there aren't any
tough follow ups.
It was absurd when Obama cited his opposition to the Iraq War as
a gutsy move that defied his party, given that he was representing
an overwhelmingly anti-war district and about to launch a long-shot
bid for the U.S. Senate in which his only opening was to run to the
left of the field in the primary.
Also, on abortion, he said it was "above [his] pay grade" to say
when human rights begin, that he unserstands the moral and ethical
issues involved, and that he supports reducing the number of
abortions. But he couldn't name a single instance in which he voted
for legislation aimed at reducing or restricting abortions, only
that he theoretically is open to restrictions on late term
abortions if there is a health exception. Warren didn't follow up
with a question about his opposition to the Born Alive Infant
Protection Act as a state senator.
When asked whether he thought evil exists and how we confront it
-- Obama mentioned Darfur, evil on the streets of American cities,
and child abuse -- but not 9/11 or Islamic terrorism.
topics:
Barack Obama, Islam, Abortion, Supreme Court, Iraq, NATO
