The South Carolina 2008 Presidential Debate: What the Candidates Said About Your Civil Liberties by Tom Head

http://civilliberty.about.com/b/a/257636.htm

The South Carolina 2008 Presidential Debate: What the Candidates Said About Your Civil Liberties
See also: Race Relations a Central Issue in the First 2008 Presidential DebateLast night, we witnessed our first serious preview of the 2008 Democratic presidential race. The debate (transcript available) took place at South Carolina State University, a prominent historically black university whose students were victimized by police officers in the deadly Orangeburg Massacre of 1968. Against this backdrop, it was impossible not to discuss the recent Virginia Tech shootings and its implications for gun rights. But this was only one of many civil liberties issues that came up during the 90-minute debate. Here's a short recap:
Abortion
All of the candidates expressed strong disagreement with the recent Supreme Court ruling on "partial birth abortions," but none of the candidates spoke directly to Justice Kennedy's reasoning in the case.
Read more: Gonzales v. Carhart (2007)
Gun Rights
Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson, and Joe Biden all spoke on the issue of gun rights within the context of the Virginia Tech murders.
All three candidates expressed support for a more efficient background check system, and advocated keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.
Richardson, described by moderator Brian Williams as "the NRA's favorite presidential candidate declared in either party," also brought up the fact that mental illnesses are diseases and that the mentally ill deserve better treatment in this country.
Biden seconded Richardson's suggestion that we improve mental health treatment in this country, and also recommended reinstating the assault weapons ban and closing the gun show loophole. He went on to suggest that if professors "determine that a child, by the way they're writing and what they're acting, that they're a danger, the school should be able to take them off the campus." It is not clear what, exactly, Biden meant by this.
In a show of hands, Joe Biden, Christopher Dodd, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, and Bill Richardson all admitted having guns in their houses during their adult lifetimes.
Read more: Our Freedoms, Our Lives
Lesbian and Gay Rights
Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut was asked about his state's recent decision to legalize civil unions. After making one of the most eloquent arguments I had ever heard any presidential candidate make in favor of partnership rights:
...I always begin this queston, Brian, by asking people to consider what they would do in the case of their own children. I have two very young daughters who one day may have a different sexual orientation than their parents. How would I like them treated as adults?What kind of housing, what kind of homes, what kind of jobs, what kind of retirement would they be allowed to have? I think if you ask yourself that question, you come to the conclusion that I hope most Americans would: that they ought to be able to have those loving relationships sanctioned....he stumbled while explaining why he did not support full same-sex marriage rights:
I don't support same-sex marriage. And the distinction there, I think, is one of more what's available, what the traditions are, and the--over the years. But basically that's a distinction I make--strongly support those civil unions."But basically that's a distinction I make--strongly support those civil unions" pretty much defines the position of every viable 2008 Democratic presidential candidate on partnership rights.
Read more: Why You Should Support Gay Marriage
Race and Equal Opportunity
Joe Biden and Barack Obama defended the decision to hold the debate in South Carolina in defiance of an NAACP ban, arguing that the entire country needed to be brought into the discussion on civil rights and other important issues.
Barack Obama brought up urban poverty and the high black infant mortality rate.
Bill Richardson admitted that he felt some sense of kinship with Alberto Gonzales because of their shared Latino heritage, and that this may have played a role in his initial reticence to call for Gonzales' resignation.
Joe Biden attempted to defuse his earlier gaffes with humor. The audience liked it, but whether this will help him in the polls is not yet clear.
Read more: Race Relations a Central Issue in the First 2008 Presidential Debate
War on Terror
No 90-minute debate could provide a comprehensive overview of important civil liberties issues, but I do find it surprising that although counterterrorism efforts were discussed in great detail, the issue of civil liberties never came up with respect to same. This was the point in the debate where Russ Feingold's absence as a candidate was most keenly obvious.