Wednesday, June 25, 2008

BARACK OBAMA, JOHN MCCAIN

What Does Obama Think of Kennedy vs. Louisiana? (UPDATED)

We know McCain didn't like the Supreme Court decision banning the death penalty for child rapists, calling the decision in Kennedy vs. Louisiana "profoundly disturbing."

(The majority also held that the death penalty "[a]s it related to crimes against individuals, the death penalty should not be expanded to instances where the victim’s life was not taken." So as long as you don't kill your victim, you will never face the death penalty, apparently.)

No word on Obama's site about this decision yet.

Here's the thing. No matter how much Obama may suggest that he disagrees with this decision, you know that Obama's Supreme Court justices would be more like Stevens, Souter, Breyer, and Ginsburg (and maybe Kennedy), the majority in this decision. You know that no justice under Obama, and just about every justice under McCain, would be more like the dissenters, Roberts, Alito, Scalia and Thomas.

UPDATE: Obama just answered a reporter's question. "I disagree with the decision. I have said narrow circumstances for the most egregious of crimes. The rape of a small child, 6 or 8 years old, is a heinous crime and if a state makes a decision that under narrow, limited, well-defined circumstances that the death penalty can be pursued, that that does not violate the Constitution."

It's a fine answer. Too bad all of his favorite justices disagreed with him. 

06/25 03:02 PMShare