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September 09, 2008
Obama to Palin: 'Don't Mock the Constitution'
Obama to Palin: 'Don't Mock the Constitution'
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich.
Sen. Barack Obama delivered an impassioned defense of the Constitution and the rights of terrorism suspects tonight, striking back at one of the biggest applause lines in Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's speech to the GOP convention.
It was in St. Paul last week that Palin drew raucous cheers when she delivered this put-down of Obama:"Al-Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America and he's worried that someone won't read them their rights."
Obama had a few problems with that.
"First of all, you don't even get to read them their rights until you catch 'em," Obama said here, drawing laughs from 1,500 supporters in a high school gymnasium. "They should spend more time trying to catch Osama bin Laden and we can worry about the next steps later."
If the plotters of the Sept. 11 attacks are in the government's sights, Obama went on, they should be targeted and killed.
"My position has always been clear: If you've got a terrorist, take him out," Obama said. "Anybody who was involved in 9/11, take 'em out."
But Obama, who taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago for more than a decade, said captured suspects deserve to file writs of habeus corpus.
Calling it "the foundation of Anglo-American law," he said the principle "says very simply: If the government grabs you, then you have the right to at least ask, 'Why was I grabbed?' And say, 'Maybe you've got the wrong person.'"
The safeguard is essential, Obama continued, "because we don't always have the right person."
"We don't always catch the right person," he said. "We may think it's Mohammed the terrorist, but it might be Mohammed the cab driver. You might think it's Barack the bomb-thrower, but it might be Barack the guy running for president."
Obama turned back to Palin's comment, although he said he was not sure whether Palin or Rudy Giuliani said it.
"The reason that you have this principle is not to be soft on terrorism. It's because that's who we are. That's what we're protecting," Obama said, his voice growing louder and the crowd rising to its feet to cheer. "Don't mock the Constitution. Don't make fun of it. Don't suggest that it's not American to abide by what the founding fathers set up. It's worked pretty well for over 200 years."
He finished with a dismissive comment about his opponents.
"These people."
.
Wild Thing's comment.........
He is just breath-takingly stupid. These people are not covered under the constitution. The problem is the far left keeps trying to apply the constitution to any breathing person.
It was in St. Paul last week that Palin drew raucous cheers when she delivered this put-down of Obama: "Al-Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America and he's worried that someone won't read them their rights."
Nope. The Washington Post misquotes Governor Palin. That wasn't a statement, it was a question. It read: "It was in St. Paul last week that Palin drew raucous cheers when she delivered this put-down of Obama: "Al-Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America and he's worried that someone won't read them their rights?"
Mocking the constitution? When I ask did liberals ever care about that? They don’t just mock it they systematically try to go around and undermine it by whatever means possible.
Terrorists should have no “rights” under the Constitution because they are foreign, non-combatants and thus should not be afforded the same protection as U.S. citizens.
Get this too, regarding Obama's two rallies in in the same day.1500 people , 250 people earlier today. That’s two rallies in MICHIGAN of all places, and Obama pulls in less than 2000 people.
John McCain is a political genius (what did Rush call him...”McGenius.”) He has the Democratic Presidential nominee on the defensive, but not against the Republican Presidential nominee, but against the VP candidate. Doesn’t Obama get the fact that this diminishes his so called “political stature.” Why does it take Hillary, Biden, and Obama to all face off Sarah Palin??? heh heh
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America DID NOT WRITE the U.S. Constitution for a bunch of Islamofascists killing Americans and trying to destroy OUR country! If Obama had spent more time in the United States and less time in Indonesia, who would know that.
The guy is a walking contradiction. On the one hand he says, "Take them out" which, by his standard, would be violating the terrorists habeus corpus "rights" and then on the other hand, if you don't kill them but catch them, they are to be considered innocent until proven guilty. That is if we kill them they were guilty but if captured they are innocent until proven guilty. Of course Obama ignores the legal reality that illegal combatants that wear no uniform and belong to no national government are not to be given the same rights under the Geneva Convention that identified members of a military force of a recognized nation are to be afforded.
This guy is flailing around without any use of logic. Obama is, himself, a walking, breathing affront to the Constitution. His view that federal judges are there to do whatever they think is right, rather than to understand and apply the Constitution, is an assault on the very concept of having a written Constitution.
Obama is also trying to stifle free speech by trying to get the justice department to go after The American Issue Project for running a Ayers add.
Posted by Wild Thing at September 9, 2008 03:55 AM
Comments
When a burglar or worse breakes into Barry's 1.5 million dollar house , he should rememeber to read him his rights.
But ole barry is on defense, he is in the prevent defense, he is trying not to lose. We are on offense this is as it should be.
Posted by: Mark at September 9, 2008 08:16 AM
The word "ludicrous" comes to mind...
He'll make the Constitution a fun-fact on the history channel with all his social and military-debasing programs.
I wonder if he'll send in his little voluntary-brownshirt-strong-as-the-military-civilian-corps to read the terrorists their rights? Of course, someone will have to educate him on just who the terrorists are. He seems confused about that.
Could he be having nightmares yet? Hell, he'll probably be completely gray-haired by November.
What's so scary is people are still taking him seriously at all.
Posted by: yankeemom at September 9, 2008 08:37 AM
That moron needs to shut up ! He is absolutely stomach turning- ! He is the most ignorant fool in the United States and I can't wait for America to show him the door on election day!!
Posted by: Cheryl Zee at September 9, 2008 08:58 AM
Wild Thing,
I think you are terribly wrong. The Constitution never differentiates between citizens and non-citizens, especially when it comes to the Bill of Rights. Please go back and read it again.
You sound like you have gone over the edge into Obama Derangement Symdrome (ODS).
Respectfully,
Robin
Posted by: Robin Roberts at September 9, 2008 09:23 AM
I feel sorry for the students he taught Constitutional Law to. They must have a completely muddled idea of what The Constitution really is.
Please Obama, keep your mouth going. You and your wife and your running mate show that great educations do not guarantee great minds. Your worst foe right now is your mouth proving your radical background, your stupidity and your hatred of American traditions.
Posted by: TomR at September 9, 2008 09:53 AM
This guy is a flipping idiot!!!!!!! He wouldn't know the Constitution if it bit him in the Ass!!!! He and Michele totally disrespect the Constitution every time they open their mouths!!!!!!
I agree with you completely WT.....His comments are a complete contradiction!!!! "Guilty if shot dead - Innocent if caught alive"!!! Sheesh!!!!!! I would love to see him and Sarah go toe to toe in a debate!!! Then the world would see and know once and for all what an ignoramus idiot he really is!!!!!!!!!!!
We can only hope that he, Michele, and Biden keep shooting off their ignorant mouths!!!!!!!!
Posted by: John at September 9, 2008 11:21 AM
Robin, since when do we grant Civil Liberties to terrorists ? When we caught the German spies, during World War 2, who snuck in to the country by Submarine, they did not get read their rights. A Military Court Martial and they were executed.
As it should be.
They are NOT guaranteed anything under the Constitution. Remember, the important thing here is, now pay attention Robin, 'United States Constitution'. Obviously, you would love to give every terrorists their freedom. Well how bout this we set them up in house-keeping right next door to where you live. Maybe you may change your mind.
Nitwit.
Posted by: Mark at September 9, 2008 01:45 PM
It is refreshing to hear the most liberal Senator in Congress, who if elected will soon be President and CIC on Day One, promote what he expresses is a Constitutionally supported shoot first (take him out) no need to ask questions later or read them their rights plan to deal with terrorists. No need for Gitmo with it's special menus and treatment for it's detainees. Can't wait to hear Jack Murtha, Dick Durban, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, MoveOn.org, Daily KOS, and other liberals add their support for this shoot first plan to their anointed one.
Robin, you can find the wording in the Constitution for differentiating and excluding terrorists from equal rights just after the explicit wording granting a woman the right to have an abortion and denying the right of habeas corpus to the unborn.
So far, there have been over 50 million abortions with nameless what would have been citizens who may have been named Michelle and Barack and could have been President and First Gentleman with born children of their own.
Posted by: Les at September 9, 2008 02:46 PM
We the people ordained and established the Constitution, according to The Preamble, those people who were voting citizens of the states. The original Constitution didn't define citizenship, only in the comity clause of Article IV was citizenship even mentioned, which simply means it was assumed. Because of this, however, we also had an abomination like Dred Scott.
There is a huge body of law dealing with the rights and immunities of citizenship, which clarified the protections afforded citizens of states and the same protections due these same individuals as citizens of the UNITED STATES.
The 14th Amendment made the Bill of Rights applicable to the states, in the context of citizenship of the the states, not residents of the states, or former slaves, or any other status - so Robin's "point" about the Bill of Rights is ridiculous.
Unless I'm missing something, when a two-hundred year debate occurs clarifying the rights, duties and immunities of citizenship, the issue defaults to the fact that the rights protected by the Bill of Rights, applies to CITIZENs...no one else.
I'll defer if I hear any other reasonable argument.
Posted by: Rhod at September 9, 2008 03:54 PM
What amazes me is that Obama supporters, per the Rasmussen poll, think that Supreme Court decisions should be decided on something other than Constitutional principles:
(http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/supreme_court_ratings/supreme_court_update)
"While 82% of voters who support McCain believe the justices should rule on what is in the Constitution, just 29% of Barack Obama’s supporters agree. Just 11% of McCain supporters say judges should rule based on the judge’s sense of fairness, while nearly half (49%) of Obama supporters agree."
To put this in perspective, less than 30% of those who support Barack Obama for President believe that the Constitution should constrain judicial rulings.
Instead, nearly half of all Obama supporters — you know, the enlightened elite who are soo scared that Governor Palin will get her mooseburger and bundt cake-baking paws on that austere old document (drafted by the kinds of dead white males academics instruct us to hate) — believe it is the job of justices to rule on what they feel is fair.
Which, in practical effect, works to put into practice a system in which, potentially, a single philosopher king can decide for the entire country what is legal and what is not — without having to appeal to the very documents drafted to check such an undemocratic impulse.
Greeeeaaaat. Just great....
Posted by: Nick Byram at September 9, 2008 04:16 PM
So Robin will you be joining Geraldine Ferraro and cast your vote for that dumb fuck O'Possum? Just curious.
Posted by: cuchieddie at September 9, 2008 04:17 PM
Mark, LMAO good one.
"When a burglar or worse breakes into Barry's 1.5 million dollar house , he should rememeber to read him his rights."
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 9, 2008 05:25 PM
Yankeemom, DITTO.
I am very concerned if he wins and what you mentioned the..."little voluntary-brownshirt-strong-as-the-military-civilian-corps ".
We would end up whispering when we eat out or go shopping and try to talk in case one of THEM are listening and turn us in. That sounds nuts but under Obama that kind of thing could very well come to be.
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 9, 2008 05:28 PM
Cheryl me too, I look sooooo forward to his not winning and then his temper tantrum and playing the you hate me routine to no availe.
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 9, 2008 05:30 PM
Robin Roberts, good grief, you need to just be glad that I am not in charge as CIC because I would have the policy of take no prisoners at all they would not be alive to get a trial, and waste our tax dollars on their food and water.
And if that did not work then daisy cutter the whole place.
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 9, 2008 05:36 PM
Tom, yessss I bet they wish they had a better teacher then they did with Obama.
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 9, 2008 05:38 PM
John, hahaha I agree so much. The more these people talk the better it is for our side.
"We can only hope that he, Michele, and Biden keep shooting off their ignorant mouths!!!!!!!!"
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 9, 2008 05:40 PM
Les, he sure says things in double speak, yes kill them no give them rights. hahaha
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 9, 2008 05:42 PM
Mark, thank you.
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 9, 2008 05:44 PM
Rhod, thank you.
"Unless I'm missing something, when a two-hundred year debate occurs clarifying the rights, duties and immunities of citizenship, the issue defaults to the fact that the rights protected by the Bill of Rights, applies to CITIZENs...no one else."
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 9, 2008 05:47 PM
Nick Byram, good one, thank you. Yes that is just what Obama would love too, like being king and not just president.
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 9, 2008 05:50 PM
Cuchieddie, thank you.
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 9, 2008 05:53 PM
Is it just me but do I see gray starting to
show?? Now if that be the case,when the poo
hit's the fan,all da kingz horses,you get the picture, self distruction. Could be he is on the
eve of distruction!! to bad, so sad,not!!!
Posted by: Tincan Sailor at September 9, 2008 06:09 PM
What in the Hell makes this shit stain think he knows anything about the Constitution of The United States of America?
Posted by: GM Cassel AMH1(AW) USN RET at September 9, 2008 07:46 PM
Hockey Moms - 1
NBA Wannabees - 0
If Sarah wears a sexy one piece bathing suit in her VP debate with Joe Biden, he's scrapple!
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at September 9, 2008 08:32 PM
Prisoners of war are protected by the Geneva Conventions, not the Constitution of the USA.
When you apply the constitutional rights protections to a prisoner of war, you are in essence saying, "There is no war."
Posted by: Trish at September 9, 2008 10:37 PM
You don't give terrorists Habeas Corpus! You don't give them rights they don't have.
You can't win a war with rules.
And you don't give your playbook to the other team! How stupid does he think we are?
Posted by: Lynn at September 10, 2008 04:08 AM
