Anybody's Fault But Their Own

What does pro-life Senator John McCain’s willingness to work with Hillary Clinton on global warming have to do with Mrs. Clinton’s own stance on the abortion issue? It’s a strange sounding question, but one that no doubt many people were asking following recent comments made by former President Bill Clinton to a leftist student Group. This writer certainly is asking it.

Speaking to a gathering of Campus Progress on Wednesday, as noted at Newsmax.com, Mr. Clinton bemoaned the fact that Democrats like his wife are being made to sound inconsistent on the abortion issue by some right-wing manipulation of how the issue is defined and discussed.

His remarks are the result of the incredulous reaction by many across the nation – including many on the left – to Mrs. Clinton’s more moderate-sounding comments on social issues since the beginning of 2005, including her contention in January that abortion is a “sad, even tragic choice,” while continuing to champion the cause of legalized abortion.

Of course, anyone who pays any attention to American politics understands precisely why the junior Senator from New York is making comments that seem in such opposition to her well-known, firmly-held beliefs. She’s got the race for the White House on her mind, and knows that the current trend in public opinion makes sounding too far out to the left on the issue a liability for her. But, of course, to make a statement that clearly contradicts her position in such a public manner carries a good deal of risk of its own.

Enter the husband.

Having seen the danger that being perceived as inconsistent on issues can be to an aspiring president – think “flip-flop” – the man from Harlem is making sure that people understand that she isn’t being inconsistent at all. It’s just that Democrats like his wife have been boxed in by the way that conservatives have defined the issue and debate. In other words, if she does sound like she’s contradicting herself, it’s simply the result of some vast right-wing conspiracy.

His evidence? The fact that his wife’s inconsistent statements on a single issue is greeted with skepticism from all quarters, “But if [Republican] John McCain, who’s pro-life, works with Hillary on global warming, he’s a man of principle moving to the middle.”

It should come as no surprise that the man who remains the most prominent member of the party that made having a persecution complex fashionable at all levels of society would publicly accuse his political opponents for setting a trap that he and his ideological soul-mates have set for themselves. But one would at least expect a man as intelligent as he is to try to back it up with reasoning that at least approaches coherence. How does comparing John McCain’s stances on two separate issues illustrate his defense of Hillary’s inconsistent statements on a single issue?

The fact is that the most popular talking point among leading Democrats regarding the abortion issue – that it should be “safe, legal, and rare” – is fraught with as much contradiction in its own body as Mrs. Clinton’s belief in the tragedy of the choice of abortion when compared with her public record on the issue – without any help from anyone on the right. Is it any wonder that it was Mr. Clinton who gave this phrase prominence in the first place? And does it necessarily suggest a bias on the part of a listener who feels compelled to ask certain questions in response to statements like these?

Why should abortion be rare if it is safe and legal? Why should it be legal if it is a tragic choice? One need not be a right-wing activist to wonder what the answers to these questions are.

The Clintons have long been masters at giving the appearance of sympathy to anyone of any political persuasion when they feel it is necessary to get what they want. They recognize that medical technology is making certain facts about the pre-born harder and harder to deny by many in America, and statements such as these are certainly designed to convince the public that they are not as extreme on the issue as their records demonstrate that they are.

One can expect to hear more such statements as these coming from the Hillary Clintons, John Kerrys, and other Democrat presidential aspirants over the next three years. But, contrary to what they might tell their listeners, one should not feel that they are out of line for wanting a more direct statement from these candidates as to whether they believe abortion is a good thing or a bad thing. The fact is that voters on both sides of the issue have a right to know the answer to that question.