Carper: "I think a number of people who voted for [partial-birth abortion ban] thought that the court would ultimately strike it down."
Robert D. Novak - The Democrats' Partial Pro-Lifers - washingtonpost.com
Thomas Carper, the low-profile junior senator from Delaware, tries to walk the middle of the road on abortion. He was rated at 55 percent pro-choice by NARAL in 2006, but he was one of the 17 Democrats who voted to ban partial birth abortion three years earlier. Carper said after the court upheld the 2003 bill: "I think a number of people who voted for it thought that the court would ultimately strike it down."
I have no doubt that Carper is right. I immediately thought of how Bush reversed his campaign pledge to veto McCain-Feingold. He figured it was popular and he could get some good publicity by signing it, figuring it would overturned by the Courts. Oops.
While on partial-birth abortion, it is largely Democrats who this describes, it applies across the board without party distinction. Too many politicians are willing to take actions they believe to be opposed to America's best interests just to maintain popularity with the voters come re-election time. This is where term limits might help, even though I retain a visceral aversion to them. If politicians didn't have to worry about re-election, perhaps they'd actually focus on what's best for the country.
For another example, on the GOP side, I have little doubt that there are some pro-life Republicans who would vote differently on a secret ballot. I have no way of knowing who they are, so I can't name names, but politicians being what they are, there's got to be at least a few.
Let this decision be a warning for politicians of the sort Senator Carper referred to: don't vote in favor of a position you oppose, it might come back and bite you in the ass.
Hat Tip: The Corner