[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by molson

• After vowing to eschew private fundraising and take public financing, he has now refused public money.

Common sense. I can't see how anyone can argue with this.

• Once he threatened to filibuster a bill to protect telephone companies from liability for their cooperation with national security wiretaps; now he has voted for the legislation.

Yep, I didn't like this.

• Turning his back on a lifetime of support for gun control, he now recognizes a Second Amendment right to bear arms in the wake of the Supreme Court decision.

"Turning his back on a lifetime of support for gun control" is a mischaracterization of his lifetime stance on gun control which has been marked, again, by common sense. Also, "he now recognizes a Second Amendment right to bear arms" is also a mischaracterization of his stance on gun control. Obama's always supported the 2nd amendment, and his view on the need for, and effectiveness of, various types of gun bans, has evolved over the course of the past 15-20 years.

• Formerly, he told the Israeli lobby that he favored an undivided Jerusalem. Now he says he didn't mean it.

Again, Morris is torturing the semantics of Obama's own statements to make a false point here. Having said that, it would have been better if he had said little to nothing about the issue. He's on record as saying he doesn't want a wall to go up through the middle of Jerusalem, but he got carried away in his rhetoric to the Israel lobby. Big deal.

• From a 100 percent pro-choice position, he now has migrated to expressing doubts about allowing partial-birth abortions.

Incorrect, his abortion position has been consistent. Many pro-choice advocates (note "pro-choice", not "pro-abortion") oppose 3rd-trimester abortions. Further, Obama has only agreed to look at legislation like this where there is a clear and unambiguous provision regarding the health of the mother.

• For the first time, he now speaks highly of using church-based institutions to deliver public services to the poor.

"For the first time"? Pure, unmitigated BS.

• Having based his entire campaign on withdrawal from Iraq, he now pledges to consult with the military first.

He's always consistently said the President consults the military on tactics, and then makes the strategic decision which becomes the military's job to implement. Obviously I'd like us out of Iraq immediately, but I understand the logistics involved.

• During the primary, he backed merit pay for teachers -- but before the union a few weeks ago, he opposed it.

Uh, wow. This is simply flat-out wrong. Before the NEA Obama talked about merit pay and still supports it. Even a cursory google shows that. Frankly, this puts the rest of Morris' article in serious doubt.

• After specifically saying in the primaries that he disagreed with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-N.Y.) proposal to impose Social Security taxes on income over $200,000 and wanted to tax all income, he has now adopted the Clinton position.

Yeah, this isn't true either. At least, I can't find anything approaching a cite here. Morris doesn't offer a cite either, so I'm going to assume this is more hackery.

Is there anything you don't like Obama, or like about McCain?

I liked McCain in 2000. I wouldn't have voted for him over Gore or Bradley, but that's just because we diverge on too many issues.