OBAMA'S PROMISE

It seems too good to be true, this new quote from the White House.
Unless President Barack Obama denounces it, and humiliates White House
Spokesman Nick Shapiro, he must back off his support of the radical
pro-abortion Freedom of Choice Act. He must oppose any federal gun ban
that might counter a state law. If the statement is true, Obama
supports states rights more than federal control.

"The president believes that federal resources should not be used to
circumvent state laws," Shapiro said this month. "And as he continues
to appoint senior leadership to fill out the ranks of the federal
government, he expects them to review their policies with that in mind."

Glory be and hallelujah. Everyone repeat it in unison: "The president
believes that federal resources should not be used to circumvent state
laws."

It's a quote Americans should cherish and never forget. It's a
statement of sweeping policy direction, and we should all use it to
help define Obama's new federalism.

The quote appeared in an Associated Press story about recent DEA pot
raids, and clearly the White House didn't wish to address the issue of
marijuana directly. That's why it issued a broad policy statement
instead. It's a statement that says we can expect the president to
respect state law, so if the topic is pot you do the math.

The AP story told of a new federal tolerance for laws in Colorado and
California and 11 other states which allow the medical use of
marijuana. The laws have been in conflict with federal laws, and the
federal Drug Enforcement Agency has boldly disrespected states by
arresting users and dealers of medical marijuana without regard for
state laws.

The story said it's unofficial, but there's "a whiff in the air that
U.S. policy is about to change when it comes to medical marijuana."
"It is no longer federal policy to beat up on hippies," said UCLA
professor and former Justice Department official Mark Kleiman. After
all, the DEA can't very well beat on druggies in legalization states
if the chief executive says federal resources should not circumvent
state laws. This has nothing to do with the president's views on
drugs. No, no, no... It has to do with states rights, which are so
important we needn't even discuss the merits of medicinal pot. We must
default to respecting each state.

It's great news. It means we'll waste less time, money, and prison
space on people who toke on a common weed that anyone can grow, or
pluck from a ditch. It means we won't continue disrespecting state
laws to impose a big government agenda from the right.

But this new federalism is far more wonderful than it appears on the
surface. If our president defends state laws, he can't deliver on his
promise to support the Freedom of Choice Act - a proposal for
disrespecting state laws to impose a big government agenda from the
left. For that matter, a president who believes "federal resources
should not be used to circumvent state laws" can't possibly support
Roe v. Wade.

Regardless of how one feels about abortion, Roe v. Wade may represent
the worst abuse of states rights our federal court has committed. It's
a ruling that did nothing other than grant federal authority to
circumvent state laws. The Freedom of Choice Act, which Obama
supported during his campaign, is a radical pro-abortion proposal
designed to circumvent state laws. Under Roe v. Wade, states retain
some rights to regulate abortion. A state's electorate can choose to
require parental notification when a minor child seeks an abortion. A
state can require informed consent, in which abortion businesses must
give specific information to patients. A state may prohibit some forms
of government funding of abortion, and states may outlaw barbaric
procedures involving partially delivered, fully-developed babies in
the third trimester of a pregnancy.

The Freedom of Choice Act, which Obama has supported, would use
federal resources to circumvent all of those state abortion laws.
Since Obama respects pot laws, for no reason other than his support
for state laws, he can't very well continue his support for the
Freedom of Choice Act - a blatant affront to state laws. Furthermore,
Obama must resist federal attempts to regulate guns in ways that
circumvent state laws. He must resist an array of federal regulations
that would circumvent state laws. If Shapiro's statement was true,
Obama's a limited government advocate and defender of states rights.
Let's hold him to it.