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Back when Congress was debating "defunding" the war, Obama claimed his constituents wouldn't understand that this didn't mean defunding troops on the ground, i.e., leaving them without equipment or weapons. In other words, he voted the way he did because he couldn't explain his position to his constituents. At this point in the campaign I decided I couldn't vote for him in the primary.
Remember John Kerry at The Citadel? He spoken eloquently and wisely to really green young soldiers about the need to let the inspectors do their job in Iraq, etc. I was quite moved watching this.
A couple of days later he voted for the IWR. Why? My guess is some Shrum-like weasel (if not Shrum himself) told Kerry that he'd look weak on terror if he voted against it. The beginning of the end, as it turns out.
If Obama is to lead a movement, that means he has to LEAD. Leaders don't rely on secret loopholes. They don't use votes as opportunities to polish their credentials to people who won't vote for them anyway. They use them as opportunities to stand up for what they believe in. Obama could be using this opportunity to say, loud and clear, "Oh, no, the president doesn't get to tell anyone to violate our constitutional protections and then give them cover!"
Instead he says, loud and clear "As president I will listen to shrum-like weasels in a vain attempt to win a few extra votes instead of standing up for your Constitutional rights!"
This is a Constitutional scholar and professor. If he can't explain to the "center" (a misnomer, as you point out) why this bill is (a) unnecessary, because FISA is alive and well and doesn't need saving, just enforcement, and (b) a travesty, because it basically says "If the president tells you to do it, it's not illegal", to re-word Nixon a bit - no one can.
It's Obama's job to LEAD and I believe he'll be a great president. But I wholeheartedly agree that every time a democrat makes clear he's afraid he can't sell his positions to us, he signals he won't stand up for us. It's sad.
