At the heart of it all

The first criticism fired from the Obama camp at vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin was that she’s not qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. That line of attack has only intensified since she was announced last Friday.

Governor Mike Huckabee was one of several news guests I’ve heard recently who point out that her executive experience in running a business, a town and a state already qualify her for the office more than any experience Sen. Barack Obama has had to date. Or other senators, for that matter. Because ‘they talk a lot, and vote sometimes, but they don’t run anything or administrate.’ Besides, Obama has been running for president nearly since Illinois sent him to Washington to represent the state in the Senate.

So about that heartbeat…

What’s really at issue here in the campaign against Sarah Palin is that she’s a strong pro-life woman in an executive position, who is now a candidate for the White House. It’s all about abortion.

Dr. James Hitchcock said that on my radio show a couple of years ago, and I’m reminded right now of this column he wrote around that time. It’s as true as ever.

In how many ways is it possible to talk about abortion without using the word?

Many, as it turns out: theocracy, rigidity, dogma, erosion of freedom, anti-women, extremism, imposing values, etc., etc.

In the first day of Sarah Palin’s announcement, she was already being called “the most ferocious anti-choice candidate” by a guest on a PBS news show. Which has been the refrain ever since.

There are strong rational, even scientific, arguments against abortion. But it is a practice whose proponents are reluctant to utter its name, and the claim that it is a right guaranteed by the Constitution is a manifest absurdity. With no compelling arguments on their side, proponents of abortion can only rely on the raw judicial power that established such a “right” thirty years ago.

And their desperate campaign to keep it enforced is fueling the rhetoric in this campaign. The White House is only the most visible goal. It’s really who controls courts and judges.