As a Catholic I am theologically conservative, but in politics I am fiercely moderate. This is the wrong year to vote John McCain president. If he had ran in 2004, he'd perhaps be a strong incumbent now. But he didn't. As for the opposition, I'm not necessarily an Obama supporter. He might, however, be the best candidate for ~this~ year.

S/he has a funny way of not necessarily supporting Obama, going to great lengths to excuse Obama's opposition of Born Alive while calling me a "partisan hack and pro-life ideologue who is wrong about Obama's support for infanticide...."

It was one year ago today that Barack Obama spoke at a Planned Parenthood Action Fund event, uttering the now infamous line, "Well, the first thing I'd do as president is, is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. [Applause.] That's the first thing that I'd do."

You can view the entire 24-minute speech here or watch this clip:

Obama made his remark in response to a question from the audience...

Um, as you were talking about earlier, the recent Bush Supreme Court's decision really took away critically important decisions from women and put them in the hands of politicians. And as a result of this, we're expecting, and have already seen, so much anti-choice legislation at the state level. Um, what would you do at the federal level not only to ensure access to abortion but to make sure that the judicial nominees that you will inevitably be able to pick are true to the core tenets of Roe v. Wade?

Obama was answering that he believed FOCA would combat "anti-choice legislation at the state level" and take judges out of the abortion debate. That it would, on steroids. It would overturn all 300+ local, state, and federal abortion restriction laws, such as the Partial Birth Abortion Ban.

How can a candidate claiming he wants to prevent abortions want to overturn every common sense abortion restriction? That's like saying one wants to stop pollution by overturning all anti-pollution laws.

Don't believe me? Read FOCA for yourself. I'll make it easy (click to enlarge):

Note "health" is not defined in this bill, of which Obama is already a cosponsor. This would fly in the face of Obama's statement to Relevant magazine July 1 that he thinks the definition of "health" should be "strict, well-defined."

In fact, Obama's support of FOCA flies in the face of his entire statement to Relevant...

I have repeatedly said that I think it's entirely appropriate for states to restrict or even prohibit late-term abortions as long as there is a strict, well-defined exception for the health of the mother.

... since FOCA would overturn those state laws he says he finds "appropriate."

Here are 2 major flip flops Obama is still flipping and flopping on, depending on his audience. Where's MSM?

Relevant magazine must certainly be enjoying its 15 minutes. The backlash continues re: statements Obama made in a July 1 interview with the liberal Christian publication. I've previously dissected his "mental distress" and "Born Alive" comments, but Obama touched on 2 other topics that has pro-aborts fuming: partial birth abortion and abstinence education. On pba he said:

I have repeatedly said that I think it's entirely appropriate for states to restrict or even prohibit late-term abortions as long as there is a strict, well-defined exception for the health of the mother.

Obama must have repeatedly said that only to the pandering pro-abort in the mirror, because stalwarts were taken aback. They considered Obama's comment a direct assault on partial birth abortion.

Former Planned Parenthood CEO Gloria Feldt published a piece July 9 and 10 in both the Huffington Post and RH Reality Check explaining why she dissed a July 9 NY funder for Obama and voided her $4,600 donation check...

... So, despite my still-raw feelings about Hillary's concession, I was prepared to go forward this week and commit full support to Obama.

Then the danger signs started....

During the last two weeks, the thunderclouds of doubt have gathered ever more ominously until they cast Obama's character into serious question....

By the time he started parsing what reasons for abortion the law may deem acceptable or not... and sounding for all the world like he was withdrawing his long held opposition to the federal abortion ban, I was seriously questioning whether this man would have the necessary mettle to withstand any challenges at all. Or worse, is he just another politician swaying with the winds and running for cover at the hint of a little thunder?

He'd obviously allowed the anti-choice misstatement of the abortion ban's provisions to frame his answer, when any lawyer ought to know that buying into your adversary's argument is guaranteed to doom your own....

"Federal abortion ban" is what pro-aborts call the Partial Birth Abortion Ban, btw. This seems like a good time for a commercial break:

Back to our story, reported The Politico yesterday:

For the past week, some activists in the abortion rights community have been trying to figure out why Barack Obama, a Democrat praised for his strong defense of reproductive rights, appeared to be turning soft.

Those who work on the front lines of the abortion debate couldn't quite believe what they were hearing: Obama, in an interview with a Christian magazine, seemed to reject a mental health exception to the ban on late-term abortions. They feared that Obama, like Democrat John Kerry in 2004, was adopting a view favored by abortion opponents to appeal to conservatives.

After days of examining his initial comments and a subsequent clarification that he supports a mental health exception - as long as the woman suffers a diagnosed illness and is not just "feeling blue" - some activists are satisfied, while others are far from it or just plain confused....

"The e-mails were just going back and forth," said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation....

The reaction to Obama's statement revealed a divide in the abortion rights community, one that closely tracks the allegiances formed during the Democratic Party's protracted primary election fight. While NOW and the Feminist Majority voiced concern over Obama's abortion remarks, two of the largest organizations dedicated to reproductive rights took a different tack and backed up Obama.

Last paragraph, interesting. And pro-aborts need not worry about Obama. He may talk soft but will never actually go soft. He takes Viabortionagra every day.

It was Obama's comment on abstinence in Relevant that was "the last straw" for Feldt, "when he gratuitously offered up language coded to out-triangulate any triangulating he had ever accused Hillary of doing":

So, if we are continuing what has been a promising trend in the reduction of teen pregnancies, through education and abstinence education giving good information to teenagers. That is important-emphasizing the sacredness of sexual behavior to our children. I think that's something that we can encourage.

Note Obama didn't say the word "sex" before the first "education." And I know what he really meant in terms of future policy. He'll continue to support comprehensive sex ed that he'll tout as also teaching abstinence. But the other side didn't even like Obama even inferring there was any value to abstinence education.

[Top graphic courtesy of Stanek commenter Cranky Catholic]

Just up on YouTube by Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, this is absolutely fabulous...

[HT: Fran at Illinois Review]