Barack Obama attempted to clarify his position on the beginning of human life. He freely admits that his "It's above my pay-grade" remark was a bit too glib for such a serious question. It may be that he also realized that if he became President of the United States it
would be his pay-grade, so perhaps he needs an answer.
With the Senator's usual stunning ability to take a long time to talk in circles and still say absolutely nothing, his new statement is:
“What I intended to say is that, as a Christian, I have a lot of humility about understanding when does the soul enter into … It's a pretty tough question. And so, all I meant to communicate was that I don't presume to be able to answer these kinds of theological questions.”
Nice dodge on the issue, Mr. Obama. What he shows most clearly is his understanding of having painted himself into a corner on this issue, and that he has no real answer to give without offending some part of the electorate. The problem with dancing around this important issue is that he looks unsure of himself and unable to make a decision. This hurts his basic electability. People who can't make up their minds on questions they having been legislating on for years may not be ready to make other important decisions either.
He also fails to understand that, although the question was asked in a church, it is not a theological question. It is not even a scientific question. The question posed was not "Is an embryo alive?" I think that all reasonable people will agree that the zygote, bubbling and churning and dividing, is alive. The scientific question is not what is in debate. The zygote is alive; the embryo is alive; the fetus is alive.
Life is not the question. Humanity is. The truer question for Mr Obama to answer is: "At what point does humanity begin? What is the beginning of person-hood?" While this could be considered a theological question, it was not posed that way. Spinning it as theology is yet another dodge, an attempt to avoid having to answer it.
When Pastor Rick Warren asked about the beginnings of life at the Saddleback Forum, it was posed as an opinion question. When do
you believe life begins? There are any number of answers the Senator could have come up with and reasonably been able to defend. Answers like: conception, implantation, at the first heart beat, at the first brain wave, at the first movement, at the first purposeful movement, at the beginning of higher levels of thinking, at the point of viability, at the moment of birth, at the first breath, two weeks later when the infant becomes aware of his surroundings, when he starts kindergarten, at age 18 when he is legally a separate entity from his parents. Pick one, that's all we ask.
The American people want and need leaders who are capable of making up their minds, especially on issues so familiar to them. It is insulting to our collective intelligence to look shocked at such a question when posed by an Evangelical minister who is a well known pro-life advocate and then stammer a dodgy answer about not being smart enough or responsible enough to answer it. It seems a bit disingenuous when he pretends to feel too uninformed to opine on the matter.
Make a freakin' decision already, Mr. Obama. Show us all that you have more substance than a speech written by someone else, a pretty wife and a nice smile. Show us all that you actually think about the issues you pontificate on and that you are willing to offend people on either side by stating your own personal opinion. Even if it is the cop-out your running mate gives about life beginning at conception, but he can't legislate that for everyone, it would at least show that you have thought about it. Because, the truth is, Senator, that answers like this:
I have a lot of humility about understanding when does the soul enter into … It's a pretty tough question.
are unworthy of you. You are a smart man and capable of so much more than this, and the truth is that the average American voter deserves better. He deserves the truth.
