As the legal fight continues over whether a Sedgwick County grand jury can have access to 2,000 patient records of abortion provider George Tiller, some may view such a handover as justifiable because they’ve decided Tiller is breaking the state’s late-term abortion law.
But as we say in today’s editorial, people go to the doctor expecting privacy, and “there’s something chilling about the idea of 15 strangers on a grand jury poring over someone’s patient records and discussing and second-guessing her medical and sexual history and mental health — even if she is nameless.†And as this latest petition-mandated grand jury probe of Tiller proceeds, we can’t help but wonder how many more are still to come.
The high-stakes Democratic debate in Los Angeles Thursday night turned out to be pretty tame overall, with both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton turning their sights on the Republicans and agreeing to disagree on policy differences.
Both did well.
But this was Obama’s best debate, and I think he benefited most. He looked and sounded presidential and seemed in command not just of the vision thing but of policy details.
On Iraq, it wasn’t even close. He routed Clinton. He emphasized his judgment and the fact that he had been against the war from the beginning, turning her “ready on day one†theme against her by arguing that “it is important to be right on day one.†He lucidly explained the set of criteria he would use to determine whether to take the country to war.
She was left to waffle and rationalize and meander on for 10 minutes, trying to explain her vote authorizing the war and why she wasn’t naive for believing President Bush wouldn’t invade. She sounded like a typical politician. And she still can’t admit the vote was wrong!
The war is an issue that still matters to Democrats. And Obama was able to draw a clear distinction between the candidates.
Hillary Clinton wouldn’t say whether Bill Clinton went too far in campaigning for her, but she told ABC’s “Nightline†that she would be able to control him if she were president and that there wouldn’t be a dual presidency. “Campaigns get a little heated — we all know that,†she said. “But when you have to make the tough decisions. . . . I have to make the decision, I have to bear the responsibility, I have to look into the eyes of the American people and tell them why we’re doing whatever it is we have to do, and I am willing to bear that responsibility.â€
Another fact of life in south-central Kansas bites the dust: that the only presidential ads it sees are those on national cable channels and the Internet. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius stars in a Barack Obama commercial now playing in the Wichita market and promoting the Tuesday caucuses. “Barack will turn the page on the old politics, to boost our economy, fix health care and end this war,†she says over soft music.
John McCain, who was endorsed last week by Sylvester Stallone, picked up California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s endorsement Thursday. And Chuck Norris is in Mike Huckabee’s camp.
But Barack Obama showed that Republicans aren’t the only ones who are backed by tough-guy action stars. Pro wrestling star Hulk Hogan endorsed Obama this week, saying he “seemed like the real deal.â€
Expect Hillary Clinton to go to the mat on this one. Who will be her counterpunch: Jackie Chan? Steven Seagal?
I say we have a Texas death match with all of them chained together in a ring to determine who will be the next president.
