Obama reminds us of the Schiavo controversy

February 27, 2008

Towards the very end of last night’s debate in Cleveland, Tim Russert asked Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama if, looking back, there were any voted they’d like to take back. Clinton, coming closer to conceding a mistake than I think I’ve heard before, pointed to her 2002 vote on the Iraq AUMF, before transitioning to talk about why “this election has to be about the future.”

When the question turned to Obama, he brought up a controversy we haven’t heard much about lately.

RUSSERT: Senator Obama, any statements or vote you’d like to take back?

OBAMA: Well, you know, when I first arrived in the Senate that first year, we had a situation surrounding Terri Schiavo. And I remember how we adjourned with a unanimous agreement that eventually allowed Congress to interject itself into that decisionmaking process of the families.

It wasn’t something I was comfortable with, but it was not something that I stood on the floor and stopped. And I think that was a mistake, and I think the American people understood that that was a mistake. And as a constitutional law professor, I knew better.

And so that’s an example I think of where inaction…

RUSSERT: This is the young woman with the feeding tube…

OBAMA: That’s exactly right.

RUSSERT: … and the family disagreed as to whether it should be removed or not.

OBAMA: And I think that’s an example of inaction, and sometimes that can be as costly as action.

Good point. Intervention in the Schiavo matter was largely a Republican initiative — Bush, for the first time, even cut a vacation short to sign a congressional measure on this — but the Senate’s initial steps could have been prevented had a Democratic senator stood up to object. None did. Obama regrets that and I found his answer rather encouraging.

Of course, some conservatives didn’t.

Under a headline that read, “Disturbed About Obama,” National Review’s Kathryn Jean Lopez wrote:

I thought Terri Schiavo was a jarring presence at the debate last night. When Senator Obama was asked what legislative regrets, he didn’t try to walk away from his radical ways any by citing his votes against born-alive infant protection or against banning the transport of children across state lines to circumvent parental notification/consent laws. Instead he said he would have voted to stop Congress from intervening to save the life of Terri Schiavo.

On Meet the Press, John McCain left open the possibility that Congress wasn’t wrong to get involved. He should embrace life (and autonomy!) and get comfortable with running against Barack Obama, a radical on these issues.

As Sullivan responded, “K-Lo wants McCain to run hard against Obama on this kind of thing. Is she nuts?”

By all means, let’s debate this again. Indeed, I can only hope McCain takes Lopez’s advice. McCain supported congressional intervention in the Schiavo case — he is, despite rumors to the contrary, a conservative Republicans — and toed the party line throughout the affair. The initial unanimous consent agreement notwithstanding, Obama (like Clinton) opposed intervention.

If the right thinks this makes Obama “a radical on these issues,” let’s have the debate. Because the last time I checked, the clear majority of Americans weren’t on McCain’s (or Lopez’s) side on this one.

Let’s see who’s a “radical”?

“K-Lo wants McCain to run hard against Obama on this kind of thing. Is she nuts?”

Using the Atrios “simple answers to simple questions system,” the answer is one word:

Yes!

Please God, let the wingnuts flutter forth in their full Orc glory. Let the gargoyles rip off their masks and be seen for what they are.

  • It wasn’t old age that killed Bill Buckley, it was the ongoing heartbreak of watching his legacy be co-opted by morons.

  • I don’t remember if it was Steve Gilliard or James Wolcott, but one of them noted soon after the Schiavo debacle that it would mark the beginning of the end of the Bush Administration and I think their point is valid. A naked right-wing “values” gesture that blew up in their face and it has been all downhill since.

    So, yes, by all means, let’s have a reprise of that debate.

  • Good for Obama to bring up that inaction (yes, we’re looking at you Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi) has been a cardinal sin of the Democrats in dealing with the Bush administration from day one. I hope that Barack, should he become president, shakes up the party to no longer passively stand by when grievous wrongs are being perpetrated. In fact, earning the nomination would give him the bully pulpit to begin doing so now.

  • Yeah, let’s talk about Bush flying back to DC from Texas in the middle of the night to address one of the apparently most important issues on the planet and then let’s compare that performance to his Katrina response.

  • Can we make K-Lo McCain’s campaign advisor? I’d like to see a Democratic white house please.

  • palmbeachmaven:

    Yeah, let’s talk about Bush flying back to DC from Texas in the middle of the night to address one of the apparently most important issues on the planet and then let’s compare that performance to his Katrina response.

    mmmmmm…
    mmmmm…
    mmmm…
    mm…
    m…

    [Read that as Super good stuff.! Like when Sheriff Taylor tastes some of Aunt Bee’s cooking and goes: mmmmm….mmmm….mmmm…mmm…mmm. ]

  • I’m pretty sure that this “Obamaism” just put him over the top in Ohio; the “J-Ken” Blackwell uber-fundie crowd is a clear minority in the Buckeye State….

  • You mean Obama’s not going to get K-Lo’s vote because of Terri Schiavo? I’m sure that’s a big disappointment.

    More to the point, the fact that McCain has a Schiavo problem puts Obama’s comment in an entirely different — and even better — light. What an excellent way to answer the question while bringing back into the public debate an issue that is not going to help McCain in the general.

    Let’s hope K-Lo keeps hammering on this issue . . .

  • Great post, CB. Good for Obama for seeing right through the Schiavo issue and expressing it so well when he said, “And as a constitutional law professor, I knew better.” That’s what our country needs now more than ever: Someone in the White House who knows better and is willing to stand up for the constitution.

  • Basically Obama learned from the earlier debate where he went first and admitted a fault–a messy desk–while his opponents cited “faults” such as caring too much. This led to a number of attacks from Clinton as not being a good manager.

    Last night’s answer allowed him to appear to admit a fault, but not one which will lose him support among Democratic voters. Those who opposed intervention in the Schiavo case will see this admission of a fault as a reminder that Obama agrees with us.

  • It was clever of Obama, but hardly an indicator of anything other than his ongoing ability to escape scrutiny for his actions. It’s really no surprise that the one thing he would take back was participation in a vote that he was careful to tell us was unanimous. In other words, thre’s no one who can say they were on the right side of the vote. But God forbid we should see this as anything but Barack “shaking up the party” and reminding us of the dangers of inaction. Please.

  • viernes, marzo 21, 2008
    ¿El que Juzgò a Jesùs es el mismo que Juzgò a Terry Schiavo?

    Por mucho tiempo hemos visto como Judios y Romanos se han debatido acerca de cuàl fuè la “Forma de Ejecuciòn de Jesùs” , es decir, si tuvo una muerte Romana o una Muerte Judia ,como sì èso los redimiera de tamaña responsabilidad, veamos como sucedieron las cosas ; Primero: Las Autoridades eran del Imperio Romano, Poncio Pilatos actuaba en nombre de la Justicia Romana, èsto es significativo porque el Juicio tuvo particularidades que bièn vale la pena destacar.Segundo:Se trataba màs bièn de un Acto o Hecho del Principe donde por una Gracia del Emperador se Liberaba a un condenado.Tercero:Se otorgò la posibilidad a Jesùs de exponer sus alegatos en favor de su Defensa a lo que respondiò que NO RETIRABA NINGUNA DE SUS ALEGACIONES; puès EL ERA EL HIJO DE DIOS.Cuarto:Se otorgò LA POSIBILIDAD AL PUEBLO JUDIO DE QUE LO LIBERARA y èsta mayorìa ENARDECIDA,SORDA y DESEQUILIBRADA prefiriò perdonar a BARRABAS y CONDENAR A JESÙS. Cuarto:PONCIO PILATOS ante el ACTO INJUSTO se “LAVA LAS MANOS” porque percibiò que algo andaba mal,que era obvia la Injusticia que se desprendìa del parecer de la mayorìa, pero sin embargo PONCIO PILATOS fuè igualmente responsable del Daño Causado porque el tenìa todo el poder del Imperio entonces ¿Por què no lo utilizò? Simplemente PONCIO PILATOS incurriò en una Omisiòn Grave de tipo Delictual que le hace tan responsable de los hechos como el mismo pueblo Judio QUE TUVO ENTRE SUS MANOS AL SALVADOR DE LA HUMANIDAD y sin embargo PREFIRIO OTORGAR EL FAVOR A UN DELINCUENTE; esto nos hace concluir que fueron tan Culpables los Judios como los Romanos, ambos cada uno en su momento tuvieron la posibilidad de evitar EL DELITO y/o PECADO màs Grande que ha cometido la Humanidad COMO LO ES HABER SOMETIDO AL HIJO DE DIOS A UNA MUERTE BRUTAL;Ahora bièn es quì donde comenzamos a hacer un PARALELISMO HISTORICO entre el Caso de Jesùs de Nazareth y el de otra Persona de nuestro Tiempo como lo fuè Terry Shiavo CULPABLES NO SON LOS JUDIOS NI LOS ROMANOS, CULPABLE ES LA HUMANIDAD ENTERA porque todos los dìas de èste Mundo se presenta la misma oportunidad de PERDONAR LA VIDA A UN INOCENTE y siempre terminamos igual cometiendo errores garrafales que terminan con la vida de Inocentes sì a sì como se oye recordemos ¿Que paso con TERRY SHIAVO ?Aunque muchas voces se oyeron entre ellas las del Santo Padre Juan Pablo II ,Un Juez de èsta època con todos los estudios sobre Derechos Humanos, Derechos fundamentales y todas las tesis de la personalidad Humana DECIDIÒ que Terry Shiavo MURIERA DE HAMBRE, en la peor de las condiciones CON DOLOR y sin ningùn tipo de Humanidad ¿Que Grave? que un Juez con el concurso de toda la intelectualidad , del avance tecnologico y pare usted de contar cuanto descubrimiento maravilloso ha hecho la humanidad HAYA REPETIDO EL MISMO ERROR QUE SE COMETIO CON JESUSCRISTO ¿Es esto posible? No hay Derecho señores la JUSTICIA UNIVERSAL ESTA EN TELA DE JUICIO o no es una Aberraciòn Jurìdica lo que han hecho con Terry Shiavo invitamos a nuestro lectores a que se documenten acerca de èste caso Lamentable para la Humanidad entera en dicho caso “Quedo demostrado Cientificamente que Terry Shiavo sufriò un Verdadero Vìa Cruxis puès cuando el Juez ordenò Cortar los suministros y toda Fuente de Alimentaciòn a èste paciente la condeno a SUFRIR UNA MUERTE DOLOROSA es imperdonable QUE LA HUMANIDAD en èsta època haya incurrido en un Error tan Grave ¿por que? los que tenian el poder se lavaron las manos como poncio pilatos lo cuàl es un Delito de Omisiòn tan culapable y reprochable como el de acciòn y ejecuciòn , ningùn hilo de poder analizò tan GRAVE INJUSTICIA se sigue TORTURANDO A CRISTO en el Mundo de Hoy se sigue IMPONIENDO LA RAZON METODOLOGICA SOBRE LA JUSTICIA CRISTIANA porque se siguen Condenando a Muerte a Inocentes cuya vida pende del Hilo de la Justicia de los Hombres,invitamos puès a todos a investigar con mayor profundidad EL CASO DE TERRY SHIAVO y asì a Reflexionar acerca de la justcia que nos ha tocado vivir en èstos Tiempos Modernos para que concluyan ustedes mismos ¿Sì es que hemos avanzado algo o estamos en los mismos tiempos y circunstancias en las que se encontro Jesùs ante la Justicia de los Hombres? Cabe preguntarse ¿y en que parte del Mundo se encuentra un Poder Judicial capaz de enervar Decisiones manifiestamente crueles e injustas? es que acaso la Decisiòn Final de un sòlo Hombre es capaz de remontarse al Poder de una organizaciòn seria ,como debiera serlo los ENTES DE REVISION JUDICIAL QUE OPERAN EN CADA PAIS,igualmente en el caso de Terry Shiavo era posible SUSPENDER LA DECISION DEL JUEZ en virtud de que con la misma se podìa cometer como en efecto se cometiò un Grave Delito contra la Vida,la Libertad y los Derechos propios del Ser Humano,como son la Alimentaciòn,la salud y la dignidad de una ser Humano.Fuè como en el caso de Jesùs que cuando lo interrogaron tan sòlo dijo Sì Soy el Hijo de Dios y Terry Shiavo en su imagen sòlo decia SOY HIJA DE DIOS. Tras 13 días sin recibir alimentación después de que le fuera retirado el aporte por orden judicial Terri Schiavo ha muerto de inanición y deshidratada en Florida Estados Unidos de Norteamerica. La Acciòn Judicial de privación de alimento fuè intentada de forma insistente a lo largo de 12 años por su marido mientras los padres de Terry insistieron a lo largo de este tiempo en cuidar a su hija, manteniendole la comida y la hidratación.Perdonalos Señor porque no saben lo que han hecho !!!

    Cordiales, Saludos !!!

    Dra: Emilia De Leòn Alonso de Andrea

    ABOGADO-U.C.A.B.

    Dr: Gilberto Antonio Andrea Gonzàlez

    ABOGADO-U.C.A.B.

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