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They Deserve to Lose
by Jacob G. Hornberger

If the Democrats win the presidency, it will not be because they deserve to win but because the Republicans deserve to lose.

When it comes to domestic policy, there really isn’t a dime’s worth of difference between Barack Obama and John McCain. As a liberal and as a conservative, they share a common commitment to the socialistic welfare state and interventionism. Both of them are ardent supporters of such socialist and interventionist programs as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, public schooling, public housing, the drug war, trade restrictions, immigration controls, economic regulations, and gun control. They firmly believe in the multitudes of federal agencies and departments, such as the IRS, the DEA, HUD, ICE, ATF, Homeland Security, and the Departments of Labor, Agriculture, Energy, Commerce, and Education.

There are also no fundamental principles with respect to foreign policy. Given their liberal and conservative philosophy, McCain and Obama share a common commitment to foreign wars, foreign interventions, foreign aid, and the military-industrial complex. Thus, it’s no surprise that they both wish to continue Bush’s 7-year occupation of Afghanistan, even if it continues to kill brides, children, and old people. Sure, it’s true that Obama opposed the invasion of Iraq, but that was nothing but a lucky call, one made when Obama wasn’t in the U.S. Senate and subject to being called a coward and a traitor for voting the wrong way. Given Obama’s praise of “the surge,” it’s obvious that his opposition to invading Iraq was not based on any principled objection to foreign interventionism but was simply a decision based on political expediency.

With respect to a big-spending government, everyone should realize by now that there’s not any difference at all between Republicans and Democrats. Conservatives have long maintained that frugal Republicans are different from big-spending Democrats. When they tried employing that theme during the McCain campaign, their plea fell on deaf ears or was met with laughter. No one can deny that Republican President George W. Bush, with the full support of his Republican cohorts, has been Mr. Big Spender Par Excellence for the last 7 years.

The big reason that Obama hasn’t earned the presidency with his presidential campaign is his cowardly failure to condemn the Bush administration’s war on civil liberties. As a liberal and as a lawyer, he supposedly has a firm commitment to the Bill of Rights and civil liberties. Yet, throughout the campaign he chose to remain silent on such things as the Pentagon’s Guantanamo prison camp, torture and sex abuse of detainees, kidnapping and rendition, the enemy-combatant doctrine, denial of due process, denial of right to counsel, denial of speedy and public trials, warrantless searches, illegal spying on Americans, cancelation of habeas corpus, and military commissions.

Why did Obama choose to remain silent on those critically important issues of our time? In my opinion, there can be but one answer: Cowardice. He was afraid that if he attacked the Bush administration for its horrific 7-year assault on civil liberties, McCain and the Republicans would accuse him of being soft on terrorism and unpatriotic. By remaining silent, Obama obviously figured that he would deprive McCain of the opportunity of using the terrorism/patriotism card against him.

Like I say, cowardice.

But it is the Republicans, including McCain, who have the much greater shame because it is they who have be the ones who have actually committed these horrific acts or ardently supported their commission. As conservatives, they honestly believe in the morality and legitimacy of such things as the Pentagon’s Guantanamo prison camp, torture and sex abuse of detainees, kidnapping and rendition, the enemy-combatant doctrine, denial of due process, denial of right to counsel, denial of speedy and public trials, warrantless searches, illegal spying on Americans, cancelation of habeas corpus, and military commissions.

Republicans deserve to be put out to pasture, where they will have the opportunity to reflect upon the horrible damage they have done to our country. They deserve to lose. That doesn’t mean though that the Democrats deserve to win.

Jacob Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation. Send him email.