Some folks in Washington think it’s downright unfair to quote politicians’ own words against them, but it seems to me that’s the heart of accountability. In any case, Barack Obama is not the first politician to have his feet firmly planted on both sides of an issue, nor will he be the last.
So, here’s what he said Saturday regarding a potential Senate Republican filibuster against his Supreme Court nomine, Judge Sonia Sotomayor:
“But what I hope is that we can avoid the political posturing and ideological brinksmanship that has bogged down this process, and Congress, in the past.”
And here is what he said in 2006 on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” regarding Senate Democrats who were then considering filibustering President George W. Bush’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Samuel Alito:
“Well, I will be supporting the filibuster because I think Judge Alito, in fact, is somebody who is contrary to core American values, not just liberal values, you know.”
That was then, this is now, right, Mr. President?
