Just in time for the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the March for Life, President Obama has re-nominated a virulently pro-abortion woman to a critical job at the Justice Department. Her nomination may result in the first big test for Senator Scott Brown.
Dawn Johnsen, a law professor at Indiana University, and former legal counsel for Naral is radically pro-abortion. Some supporters of the “right to choose” suggest that nobody is really pro-abortion. Dawn Johnsen gives proof to the lie. She favors abortion to such a degree that she rejects any formulation that suggests that abortion is a tragedy. She has called women “fetal containers” and has compared pregnancy with slavery. She denies that there is such a procedure as partial birth abortion and if there was, she would be for it. She single-handedly wrote all the key executive orders that Bill Clinton signed within days of taking office that unleashed funds for worldwide abortions. The woman is a monster. Truly Dawn of the dead.
What is strange about this exercise is that this is a re-nomination. The woman is so radical that her nomination last year was held up by Republicans and some reasonable Democrats via filibuster. Now, President Obama has re-nominated her to the position.
Here is where things get interesting. Turncoat Arlen Specter last year did not support her nomination and supported the filibuster. However, since he is now a Democrat, he is under pressure from his left in the Pennsylvania primary from Rep. Joe Sestak. As a result, Specter last week said he will flip his vote (what a shock) to support on Johnsen, ostensibly giving the Democrats the 60th vote to break the filibuster. But that was before the election of Scott Brown.
Scott Brown, while not pro-life, opposes partial birth abortion and supports conscience clauses, so one would hope that he would stand with his fellow Republicans and oppose her nomination.
So welcome to Washington Sen. Brown, you made it here just in time to stop the Dawn of the dead. We are watching.
January 22, 2010 at 7:53 am
Okay, I'll concede that she's personally despicable, and all wrong on the abortion issue. But she's not being nominated to an executive position, but an advisory one. The Office of Legal Counsel is a sort of in-house law firm giving the President legal advice. The Constitution says he can pick his own advisers and, in this case, I think it is mere obstructionism to block her appointment. No babies will be saved. This is just one more distraction for the real issues facing this country.
January 22, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Well, why not? Even if it only annoys him.
January 22, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Dutchman,
You are way off base here. The Office of Legal Counsel is no low level and meaningless office. The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel (OLC)is arguably the most important office at DoJ. OLC sets policy for the entire federal government.
The Office of Legal Counsel provides authoritative legal advice to the President and all the Executive Branch agencies. In that capacity, Johnsen could have a big impact on a wide variety of life-related issues.
January 22, 2010 at 1:47 pm
If the office is no big deal and merely "advisory", then why do so many people want to try Alberto Gonzales and John Yoo for war crimes?
Torture memos? Ring a bell?
But, as we've been told, the OLC in merely an "advisory" role, having absolutely NO influence on administration policy. I mean, if we've learned anything from the role the OLC played in setting the Bush Administration's terrorism policy, there's no way Dawn Johnsen could EVER have ANY influence on the Obama Administration's abortion policy. Right? Right?
January 22, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Does the POTUS have the lattitude to arbitrarily pick people for public service i.e. without any standards? Shouldn't the person be impartial specially when it comes to an issue that is so divisive?