HE'S THE POSTER CHILD FOR THE ROSE GARDEN CAMPAIGN:

Obama on the Need for Habeas Corpus: Distinguishing Between "Barack the Bomb-Thrower" and "Barack the Guy Running for President" (Jake Tapper, September 08, 2008, Political Punch)

Obama said his position on this was simple. "If you got a terrorist -- take him out. Anybody who was involved in 9/11? Take him out."

But habeas corpus, Obama said, was an important value that preceded the United States, a principle that states, "if the government grabs you, you have the right to say at the very least 'Why was I grabbed?' and say 'You have the wrong person.'

"The reason we have that safeguard," he said, is "we don't always have the right person. "You might think it's Mohammed the Terrorist, but its really Mohammed the Cabdriver. You might think its Barack the Bomb- thrower, but what you really have is Barack the guy running for president.

His poor staff is going to have to muzzle him if he insists on improvising. Nevermind that the statements are contradictory enough that he sounds like he wants to both shoot them and process them, why is he even talking about an issue that's deadly for him? And why compound it by reminding people that you have a name that sounds like you're one of the enemy?

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 8, 2008 7:21 PM