Amen, Amen I say to thee………

For those of you that don’t know who Doug Kmeic is…He is the Caruso Family Chair and Professor of Constitutional Law at Pepperdine University’s School of Law. He served as head of the Office of Legal Counsel (U.S. Assistant Attorney General) for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, a position previously held by U.S. Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justice Antonin Scalia in the Nixon and Ford administrations.  

The reason that he seems so pertinent to me is not only is he a well thought out Republican whom I can respect but he’s also Catholic.  As a matter of fact he was is the former Dean and St. Thomas More Professor of the law school at The Catholic University of America (2000-2003).  No one is going to call Doug a liberal and what I am hoping is that his endorsement of Obama will signal a break for the American Catholic intelligentsia away from neo-political politics.  I know that there are plenty of deep catholic thinkers out there who aren’t neo-cons, (David Schindler at the John Paull II Institute comes to mind) but unfortunately several famious Catholics have seemed to endorse the neo-con/Bush doctrine (George Weigal for one.)

Maybe even more importantly this is a story of a man that seems to see abortion as part of a larger issue one that the GOP doesn’t completly control.

Doug Kmiec Reaffirms Endorsing Sen. Barack Obama

By Douglas W. Kmiec
5/3/2008

Catholic Online

“To some of my fellow Catholics, Senator Obama’s answers on abortion make him categorically unacceptable. I understand that view, respect it, but find it prudentially the second-best answer in 2008.”

MALIBU, CA (Catholic Online) - In the last few weeks, I have been repeatedly asked if my endorsement of Senator Obama stands. 

To some of my fellow Catholics, Senator Obama’s answers on abortion make him categorically unacceptable.I understand that view, respect it, but find it prudentially the second-best answer in 2008. 

Not because Senator Obama’s position on abortion is mine; it is not. Not because I don’t believe Senator Obama could improve the articulation of his position; he could, but because I believe that my faith calls upon me at this time to focus on new efforts and untried paths to reduce abortion practice in America. ….(more)….