The Big Endorsment

There was a big endorsement yesterday in the presidential race - and, there was also the John Edwards endorsement.

The big one was NARAL, the abortion rights organization that has been closely aligned with Hillary. Their decision to endorse Barack now is curious considering her long devotion to the group, but also highlights something few Americans have thought much about - what Barack believes.

"Pro-choice Americans have been fortunate to have two strong pro-choice candidates in Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton, both of whom have inspired millions of new voters to participate in this historic presidential race," NARAL president Nancy Keenan said in a statement.

Obama is an old-fashioned abortion trumps everything liberal who will require his full powers of equivocation to keep voters confused about what he supports legislatively regarding things like partial birth abortion, which he claims to oppose while voting regularly against bans on the procedure.

In 1997, Obama voted against SB 230, which would have turned doctors into felons by banning so-called partial-birth abortion, & against a 2000 bill banning state funding. Although these bills included an exception to save the life of the mother, they didn't include anything about abortions necessary to protect the health of the mother.

In a debate in April of 2007, Barack revealed his nuanced thinking on the matter, which demonstrates why its so difficult for him to actually support specific policies:

Now, when you describe a specific procedure that accounts for less than 1% of the abortions that take place, then naturally, people get concerned, and I think legitimately so. But the broader issue here is: Do women have the right to make these profoundly difficult decisions? And I trust them to do it. There is a broader issue: Can we move past some of the debates around which we disagree and can we start talking about the things we do agree on? Reducing teen pregnancy; making it less likely for women to find themselves in these circumstances.

How do you make teen pregnancy less likely? This is when trusting people goes out the window:

U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today introduced the Communities of Color Teen Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2007, which would help prevent teen pregnancies in minority communities. This legislation would strengthen community-based intervention efforts for teen pregnancy services; establish a comprehensive national database to provide culturally and linguistically sensitive information on teen pregnancy reduction; and support research on teen pregnancy in communities of color.

Did you get that? Sex is, apparently, uniquely appealing to minority teens, who require their own database on teen pregnancy reduction which is "culturally and linguistically sensitive?" Does this mean he wants videos on how to put the banana into the condom to be performed in Ebonics?

Perhaps this is what actor Sean Penn had in mind when he explained why he hasn't endorsed Barack:

"I don't have a candidate I'm supporting and I'm certainly interested and excited by the hope that Barack Obama is inspiring,” he said, but went on to accuse him of a “phenomenally inhuman and unconstitutional” voting record.

Wow. Barack's voting record - "phenomenally inhuman and unconstitutional." Finally, a statement from Sean that you can't argue with.