Great Moments in Modern Punditry

[ProSense]

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Great Moments in Modern Punditry

Scott's link was messed up, so here we go. Amy Sullivan now:

Early in the 2004 campaign, John Kerry caused an uproar among pro-choice supporters when he told an Iowa newspaper that he believed life begins at conception. But, at the same time, he lost pro-life support when a handful of conservative bishops suggested he be denied communion because of his history of voting against abortion restrictions. And his abortion answer during the second presidential debate didn't make anyone happy. George W. Bush found it easy to shoot down Kerry's version of the Mario Cuomo I'm-personally-opposed-but-can't-do-anything-about-it-as-an-elected-official formulation, immediately replying: "I'm trying to decipher that."

Amy Sullivan then:

IN DEFENSE OF KERRY'S ABORTION ANSWER....John Kerry's answer to the rigged question about abortion in Friday night's debate struck me as almost perfect (he really should have ignored the specific question--about government funding of abortion--and stuck to the general issue of abortion). And I'm not just saying that because he used the opportunity to remind everyone that he's a Catholic...give me a little credit. What was more important in terms of picking up those moderate Catholics who are still not in the Democratic camp yet is that for the first time in recent memory, the Democratic candidate expressed respect for pro-life views and acknowledged them as legitimate in a political forum.

More on this over at TomPaine.com today. And before you send messages denouncing me as a traitor-to-the-pro-choice-cause/baby-killing-sinner (take your pick), please read the entire piece. What I'm advocating makes strategic sense, but it also happens to be the right way to conduct political dialogue about difficult issues.

I, for one, hope Kerry sticks with it.

Sullivan needs to get Kerry's Pepperdine speech!