Could The Democrats Seriously Run Obama-Nunn?

Monday, June 23, 2008

BARACK OBAMA

Democrats on Capitol Hill are mentioning that they're hearing from the Obama campaign that former Georgia Senator Sam Nunn is on the list to be Obama's running mate.

Perhaps Nunn could renounce all of his previous positions. But if he didn't, would the Democratic base be comfortable with a potential vice president who opposed Bill Clinton's plan to raise taxes, opposed gays in the military, supports school prayer, supports a balanced budget amendment, voted against prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation, voted in favor of abstinence education, opposed requirements for ethanol in gasoline, supports a Constitutional Amendment to prohibit flag burning, supports limits on death penalty appeals, limits on punitive damage awards, voted to overturn Bill Clinton's veto of the partial-birth abortion ban in 1996, once supported a Constitutional amendment to ban abortion, supported capital gains tax cuts as long as they were coupled to deficit-reducing measures, was once a member of a restricted country club, and was a member of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council?

And who would, at age 70, pretty much take the "age" card away from the Democrats?

How odd would it be to have a ticket of a man who ran his first political race in 1996, and a man who ran his last political race in 1990?

I like Sam Nunn. But how many liberals would be slack-jawed at the thought of a running mate who had spent most of his legislative career voting against the ideas that make up the Obama vision?

Barack Obama, I hope, will live a long, healthy, and happy life. But suppose that, heaven forbid, at some point during his presidency, Obama is unable to complete his term. Does this mean that all of the progressives currently thrilled at the thought of a genuine progressive, with a down-the-line liberal voting record articulating the case for activist government will get... the most conservative Democrat since... tax-cutting hawk John Kennedy? Harry Truman?

And if the solid, experienced national security expert who's been in Congress forever is what you're looking for in a vice president... why do you not want it as president on the other side of the aisle?

06/23 06:10 PM Share