The Death Penalty

It might come as a surprise to many of you that I am generally a supporter of a conservative Supreme Court and like, as John McCain calls them, "strict constructionist judges." I generally don't like judges who legislate from the bench. I applauded George Bush's selection of both John Roberts and Sam Alito as Supreme Court Judges.

So while I generally like decisions from this type of court, I dread decisions involving civil rights, women's rights, abortion and, especially the death penalty. A constructionist court is also generally a conservative court and protection for the individual can often take a back seat.

So I really applauded yesterday's decision that prohibited the Death Penalty except in the most severe cases of murder. I was relieved and surprised that Bush's newly minted conservative court rejected the use of the death penalty. In general I'm no fan of the Death Penalty.

But, in the ultimate political irony, the most liberal candidate for President in recent history, Barack Obama, roundly condemned the Supreme Court decision and continued his personal support for the death penalty.

Any choice we make for President (or Senator or Representative) involves a compromise in our often conflicting positions on the issues. This year will be no exception.