Well, last Saturday night Senator Obama had the opportunity to discuss his position on abortion, in front of a rather devout crowd of Christians, and he punted. Big surprise.
Obama, like on most issues, has two positions that he holds simultaneously. He talks about his discomfort and disapproval and dislike of abortion at every opportunity, but when it comes to actually putting action to words, every time he’s voted on an abortion-related issue, he’s voted in favor of keeping abortion as legal and unrestricted as possible, and opposing any and all infringement or limitation or restraint on abortion.
But what Obama said about the issue was the quintessential definition of a gaffe — “accidentally speaking the truth.” Fortunately, my dear colleague Cassy had the quote which I’m going to steal:
Rick Warren: OK, now, um, let’s deal with abortion. 40 million abortions since Roe V. Wade, you know, as a pastor, I have to deal with this all the time. All of the pain, and all of the conflicts. I know this is a very com… complex issue. 40 million… uh, abortions. At what point does a baby get human rights in your view?
Obama: Well, uh, you know, I think that whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or, uh, a scientific perspective, uh, answering that question with specificity, uh, you know, is, is, uh, above my pay grade.
Let’s take that a bit literally — Obama’s “pay grade” right now is $169,300 as a United States Senator. And as a senator, he’s actually required to have an opinion on matters such as abortion — for example, it was brought up in the confirmation hearings for both Chief Justice Roberts and Associate Justice Alito, and Obama voted against both justices.
Obama is now seeking a promotion to a whole new “pay grade.” of $400,000 per year, as president. And the president is also expected to have an opinion on abortion — it’s often one of the major issues debated when people decide who to vote for.
Whenever I’ve sought a job or a promotion, or judged others for such, one question that comes up is “is the person qualified for the job?” And some of the soundest advice given to such an applicant is to demonstrate that they are ready for the job — seek out more responsibilities, prove that you can do the job you are aspiring to, from day one.
Senator Obama, with his “above my pay grade” remarks, shows that he’s not ready for the promotion to the next pay grade. Hell, he as much admits that he’s not qualified for his current pay grade.
Remember, folks, that Obama has chosen to make his most salient qualification for president his “judgment.” Here’s a situation where it is, in several senses, a matter of “judgment” — and Obama freely admits his vaunted judgment fails him.
I can’t believe that I’m actually starting to miss Hillary Clinton.
