The Second Debate

McCain did ok. Obama did very well. Sadly for us.

That's it.

Well, ok, that's not it. I kept expecting McCain to point out Obama's connections, but he simply wouldn't do it. Perhaps he was afraid that tactic would alienate undecideds. But without that, he and Obama just look like similar politicians. Vanilla and chocolate.

Let's be specific here. Obama is as far-left a candidate as the Democrats have ever fielded. His taxation plan is designed not merely to eliminate the deficit but to redistribute wealth because it's not fair that some people make a lot of money and others do not (that was his message last night, for anyone paying attention). He will add vast new entitlements and never find anything that needs trimming (he said that last night, too). Obama thinks killing babies once outside the womb is permissble if, in some way, the regulation involved might otherwise infringe upon Roe v. Wade. He talks about offshore drilling, but only because it would kill his campaign otherwise. He's perfectly happy with high energy prices as incentive to move away from petroleum, regardless of its effects on the populace.

Worse than just his policies, is the fact that his leftwing associations tell us what he might have done. Does he believe in social justice like Bill Ayers? What leftwing educational ideas would he propose? What other parts of the Left's agenda would he advance.

Then there are judges. Obama has already said he would want judges who were "fair." But that's not the same thing as wanting judges who stick to normal judicial principles. A judge who is "fair" creates a system of uncertainty (because every situation is different) and arbitrary decisions, based on nothing more than emotion. We need judges who understand the law and apply it correctly, not judges wedded to some whimsical idea of "fairness" that allows capricious and unpredictable results.

But I am most concerned with the damage an Obama administration will do to the First Amendment. We've already seen Obama's thuggish Chicago tendencies towards his critics. He's not above trying to use the Department of Justice against adversaries. He uses law enforcement officers to intimidate critics. And there's no doubt that he would want to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine.

These are all things John McCain should have brought up last night, but didn't. And it could cost him the election.