Careful, Catholics, with that Palin vote

I didn't say on I'm not voting.

Of course, that mandate applies to Obama as well. He ought to say something other than *hope* and *pro-lifers are liars because they pointed out I voted against outlawing the exposing of still-alive children in the hospital john.*

Lordy, I hate it when you guys insist on taking a joke literally.

But, yes, I also want to hear more of her own voice. I know John McCain's story by heart. I could tell it.

Now she can tell us more about what her vision is. I was in the, "I don't know if I can vote at all" camp too, until he picked her, (which tells me more about him than I knew befor)e.

McCain/Palin - Country (and Children) First.

I am confused by your column. Are you trying to argue that Obama-Biden would do LESS re social services (causes espoused by both those Popes, one of whom I had the honor to meet) than McCain? There are many important issues besides the war and abortion, and Obama has my vote because of ALL these issues.

And don't you think someone in Alaska needs some contraception?

If you think that GWB presidency was a success, than McCain is your man. What makes you think that he is different? Because he says so? I do not care what he says. I care how he voted. He voted in line with Bush. He says that he is different but when I see behind him the same familiar faces, I do not believe him.

Please spare me of Sarah Palin comments. We know her for ten minutes. How can you even compare her to Obama? He has defeated the Clintons. He has earned his place in history. He created from the scratch an organization with a budget of several hundreds millions dollars and hundreds of employees. It shows great managerial and organizational skills. One of the commentators on Sullivan's blog said that Obama has the best research team he has ever seen. Does McCain have a research team? Does he do any research? I have read that he chose Palin after talking to her by phone one time and meeting with her one time. To take my current job position I went through three interviews.

I do not care whether she is a person of faith or not. What I do care, whether she is qualified to do the VP job. In Russia we have a saying: count on God but do not be an idiot.

I am glad to see many new names. I am also happy to see that many of the posts are written by open minded people who are thinking on their own.

I have read many times on this blog that abortion is not negotiable. Than I guess that torture is negotiable, the economy is negotialbe, the lives of Americans killed in Irag are negotiable, money spent on the war in Iraq instead of being spent on creating jobs and helping people is negotiable. I am a reader of this blog for about a year. I am happy to see that more and more people are bringing the same questions up.

How can religious people believe what Republicans say? Every elections they show them a bone called abortions. They did not even through it to them. It would be fiscally irresponsible. Just to show would be enough. And they react exactly like Pavlovs' dogs. They close their eys and ears on everything else.

This is a historical moment in our country. It will define a direction we shall go. Please make your choice.

Sorry about the double post--not sure how that happened.

There is hardly any voter more foolish than one who votes for the person who is most "like us." We want to have elected officials who are BETTER than we are -- more able to lead, more thoughtful, more educated, more informed.

McCain & Palin are certainly more like the average American than are Obama & Biden because Obama & Biden are smarter and wiser than we. McCain barely made it out of the Naval Academy (& wouldn't have if his father weren't an admiral), he was a failed Navy pilot who crashed 5 planes, 3 of them because of his incompetence &/or recklessness, a failed husband, & a not-very-distinguished Senator (for someone with so long a career in the Senate). Palin may or may not be smart but she is entirely unschooled in national & international affairs & even her own party members admit she is not qualified to be President. I don't know why anyone would vote for either of them for any office higher than city councilperson.

Obama & Biden, on the other hand, both have world-class minds, have lifted themselves up from poverty and have received & used their world-class educations to better the situations for Americans. Anyone who sits home & doesn't vote for Obama & Biden is either a little deranged or foolishly jealous of their accomplishments & talents.

How does any Christian vote for someone in favor of torture? I get not voting for Obama because of his views on abortion, but why can't we get no abortion plus no torture. Is that really unreasonable?

Chris Mills

As far as I know, the last time any responsible person in any Western culture "kept living aborted babies...in the store room to die" or "favored allowing the severely disabled to be starved to death" was in the early Dark Ages when people -- including churchmen & philosophers -- thought that was the most humane way to deal with severely deformed infants. There are no modern Americans I have ever heard of who favor such practices, though I'll warrant some teenaged mothers have resorted to such practices & that is the reason many states (including Florida) have "no-fault/no-questions" places to leave unwanted infants. If it is your true belief that some Democrats favor infanticide, someone has done you a terrible disservice by telling you vicious lies. No candidate of either major or of any responsible minority party has ever condoned or encouraged infanticide during my rather long lifetime.

The following statement about Obama is not true: "kept living aborted babies...in the store room to die" or "favored allowing the severely disabled to be starved to death"

The McCain campaign has been blatantly false statements about Obama's voting record. What does the Bible say about lying?

At factcheck.org there is a detailed and somewhat confusing review of Obama's opposition to Illinois legislation in 2001, 2002 and 2003 that would have defined any aborted fetus that showed signs of life as a "born alive infant" entitled to legal protection. It was Obama's contention that certain definitions were being added that would be used to forbid all abortions. The bills were about definitions, not what actions would be take for a "born alive infant" because a law already existed.

In discussions of abortion rights, definitions are critically important. The main bills under discussion, SB 1082 and the federal BAIPA, are both definition bills. They are not about what can and should be done to babies; they are about how one defines "baby" in the first place. Those who believe that human life begins at conception or soon after can argue that even a fetus with no chance of surviving outside the womb is an "infant." We won't try to settle that one.

What we can say is that many other people – perhaps most – think of "infanticide" as the killing of an infant that would otherwise live. And there are already laws in Illinois, which Obama has said he supports, that protect these children even when they are born as the result of an abortion.

Illinois compiled statute 720 ILCS 510/6 states that physicians performing abortions when the fetus is viable must use the procedure most likely to preserve the fetus' life; must be attended by another physician who can care for a born-alive infant; and must "exercise the same degree of professional skill, care and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as would be required of a physician providing immediate medical care to a child born alive in the course of a pregnancy termination which was not an abortion." Failure to do any of the above is considered a felony. "

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obama_and_infanticide.html

Rod, come on now, being pro-life, surely you should be voting McCain. Granted, people will die in war. But at least it will be less than those dying everyday from abortion. Lesser of two evils. I recently heard that this summer alone, more people died on the streets of Chicago than in the war. But simply looking at the abortion stats, I'd rather be voting for the war than for abortion. The pope may be against the war. But surely not at the expense of the innocent babies. I could not live with myself if I abstained from voting simply because I couldn't "decide." My voting at least gets a step closer to babies not being killed.

This is what confuses me about those who refrain from voting in elections... is not the aim of politics practical, that is, tending toward the result of your vote, not the moral purity of your choice in the moment? What practical aim do you tend toward? Do you see some sin in voting for a so-so candidate, even though he/she is up against a really horrible one? Is your practical aim to punish the country with some horror that might make it long for conservatism again? What's the goal?

The perfect, for these purists, will always be the enemy of the good, accelerating their tribalism and severely limiting any good influence they might have on the world.

IMO not making a decision which candidate you're going to vote for is the same thing as a certain Senator voting "present" rather than put his name down as a yes or no vote.

The issue of abortion is the single most important issue to me in this election as it has been in the past two elections and will continue to be until Roe v Wade is just part of our sad history. After the Saddleback debate and now with the selection of Sarah Palin I enthusiastically and with good conscience support John McCain as the next POTUS.

rabid support for a war that two consecutive popes have condemned;

Has Mr. Richert ever provided a citation to a statement by the current Pope in which His Holiness insists or recommends that American and British troops be withdrawn forthwith?

Ms. Palin is a rude, big mouth liar. I turn her off because I can't stand the sound of her voice along with what she says.

She is very undignified. Her speech at the convention was condescending and very crude. I don't like McCann but I dislike her more.

She has no class OR experience. Go home to Alaska where she belongs and take care of her family.

If she wins, I am NEVER voting again.

I really wished McCain chose Romney instead...now I'll have to vote for Obama in November

I do not care whether she is a person of faith or not. What I do care, whether she is qualified to do the VP job.

She goes to church a lot, so state funerals would be pretty easy.

Well, we do have one of two positions espoused, often by the same people, and they conflict as to Palin's social positions, and what role she will take as VP.

The first says that a VP doesn't do much. Which, of course, a VP doesn't HAVE to do much, but certainly can. It kind of depends on the president they are serving under. Some VP's have done nothing more than PR and State funerals. Others have actually taken roles in writing and enacting policy, trying to persuade the Legislature, and serving on various important commissions. You can't be sure what Palin will be doing. But there is one thing for sure. She WILL be doing what the president does, if anything happens to McCain.

But, if McCain is fine for 4 years, AND decides to let her serve purely ceremonially, her qualifications probably don't matter. But then.. neither do her social positions. Can't really have it both ways, there.

If Sarah Palin is going to play an active and vital role as VP in this administration, then yes, her social positions might have an impact on policy. But, in that case, her qualifications ARE important.

What about the lies about Palin's fiscal record, on earmarks in general and the 'bridge to nowhere' in particular? Any conservatives bothered about that?

Thank you for your honesty and stating what is so obvious to many of us. I am a conservative and I normally tend to vote Republican. I will not do that in this election. Not only is the nominee not a conservative, the man has stated on numerous occasions that he believes in Evolution. I'm sorry, but I cannot support that ideology.