John Morton was Lord Chancellor of England under Henry VII. He asserted that if one of the King’s subjects lived in luxury, he obviously had money to spare for the king. He also asserted that if of the King’s subjects showed no sign of being wealthy, he must have substantial savings and could therefore afford to give it to the king.
And so, rich or poor, all had to surrender their money to the King. There was no better alternative.
This forced dilemma has come down to us as “Morton’s Fork” — a forced choice between equally unpleasant alternatives. It is more commonly expressed in colloquialisms like “between a rock and a hard place.”
And that is where we find ourselves: Forced to choose between equally unpleasant alternatives.
On the one hand, we have the Republican candidate for President, John McCain — a war hero and nearly life-long civil servant. On the other, the Democratic candidate for President, Barack Obama — an every man who has pulled himself from humble circumstances to the corridors of power. On one hand, the politics of fear and on the other, the politics of deception.
John McCain was proven, literally, on the field of battle. He has served two terms as a U.S. Congressman, and, since 1984, has served as the U.S. Senator from Arizona. He ran for President in 2004, but was defeated in the Primaries.
Having been defeated by a fear- and smear-based campaign in 2004, McCain now appears to have immersed himself in running one. The race has gotten ugly, with innuendo after innuendo unleashed in an effort to see which will sway the voters.
To quote Time magazine, as they compared the candidates, “(Obama) seems a grown-up, in a nation that badly needs some adult supervision”
The Democratic candidate, Barrack Obama, seems to have come out of nowhere to explode onto the national stage. The first most of America heard of him was his speech at the Democratic National Convention four years ago. Now he appears to be leading the contest to become our next president.
Time and time again, Mr. Obama has shown a willingness to change his positions on key issues. This, of itself, does not render him unfit for office. Any thinking, reasoning person can change his or her mind as greater experience or new data come to light.
It would show great ignorance not to.
Mr. Obama, though, explains any apparent inconsistencies away as though they never existed. He has raised political spin to a new art form that renders it difficult to discern the truth.
An example: Mr. Obama openly opposed the “surge” that seems to have brought America to the brink of success in Iraq. Mr. Bush implemented the policy anyway, and it seems to be working well.
Yet when questioned about the surge, Mr. Obama said, in effect, “Bush is finally doing what I called for a year ago.”
What?!!
It doesn’t take much to figure out why Mr. Obama can’t admit he opposed the troop surge: it worked. And, unfortunately for Mr. Obama, it was championed on Capital Hill by John McCain.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated example. Mr. Obama seems unable to say “I changed my mind,” unless there is political capital to be made for doing so. And from time to time Mr. Obama’s attempts at spin cross the line into deception.
And so, with Election Day fast approaching, we find ourselves at Morton’s Fork. On one hand, the politics of fear and on the other, the politics of deception.
Roger's View 