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Say It Ain’t Joe! (So.)
Unqualified Offerings — ... , I discover Biden has an 82% rating from the ACLU. But Radley Balko suggests the ACLU are easy graders : But from a policy perspective, it’s a disaster. Biden has sponsored more damaging drug war legislation than any Democrat in Congress. Hate the way federal prosecutors use RICO laws to take aim at drug offenders? Thank Biden. How about the abomination that is federal asset forfeiture laws? Thank Biden. Think federal prosecutors have too much power in drug cases? Thank Biden. Think the title of a “Drug Czar” is sanctimonious and silly? Thank Biden, who helped create the ...

Joe Biden, Drug Warrior
Lawyers, Guns and Money — Radley Balko points out that Biden's voting record on drug issues in particular and civil liberties in general is quite bad. FWIW I think on average too much attention gets paid to VP picks (this rule contains an exception for nominating one of Satan's actual minions). Still there are a lot of things about the Biden pick that are troublesome. Yglesias notes that Biden's Iraq vote seems to have been based on the rather strange theory that an Iraq war skeptic could influence the process in a positive way by supporting the Bush administration's push for ...

The downside of Biden
Newshoggers.com — ... As events have unfolded in the last 24 hours, I'm generally satisfied that Biden was a good choice for VP. However, Radley flagged the one big negative that I've been reluctant to bring up in an effort to prolong the positive coverage. But since Radley didn't show my restraint, it's worth noting that Biden's record on the war on some drugs is abysmal. ...

Joe Biden selection concerns libertarians
The Next Right — ... in the air like Joe McCarthy with a list of communists, Biden demanded to know, as we very loosely paraphrased it in Cato’s 25-year Annual Report (pdf; page 14), “Are you now or have you ever been a libertarian?”  [...]  Biden was right to worry that Thomas’s understanding of individual rights and the Constitution just might put some limits on the power of government. Radley Balko says "from a policy perspective, it’s a disaster." ...

Biden and civil liberties
Overlawyered — Wired.com, meet Radley Balko and Jeralyn Merritt. Tags: crime and punishment, Joe Biden Related posts “These men are remarkably sophisticated consumers of legal talent” (0) Yet more Edwards campaign-cash laundering (0) Yet another R (Trial Lawyers)? (0) Wrong, with vengeance (1) Won’t testify on domestic violence? Jail her (2)

Remainders: On enemy ground
Jonathan Martin's Blog — ... tearing the convention apart. Daddy Yankee explains. DNC hits McCain as McBush The Wisconsin Dem who lost her convention slot for backing McCain oddly knew about his '99 slip-up where he opposed overturning Roe Mark Hemmingway catches the failed attempt to recreate '68. Jennifer Rubin reflects the widely held conservative sentiment that the Obama campaign screwed up with its Ayers ad. O-Rama!. Biden's drug warrior history irks libertarians.

Cheese and crackers
The Sideshow — ... he managed to be a lying piece of crap and yet be boring at the same time. Roger Ailes says it was "so sucktacular that it probably lost McCain votes." (Oh, yeah, the name is an anagram!) Also useless, GWB and Hollywood Fred wowed the crowd at the RNC without ever using that word. Palin's got her very own humdinger of a preacher. And I'm not quite sure how to describe this odd executive experience. Radley Balko evaluates Obama's choice of the Senate's worst drug warrior as his runningmate. For those who clicked through Skippy's post ...

McCain Says He "Won't Coddle Criminals"
TalkLeft — ... would appoint liberal activist judges and supply them with greater sentencing discretion. I will appoint judges who will strictly interpret our Constitution. Senator Obama's judges would coddle criminals. I will appoint judges who will hold criminals accountable. McCain is clueless in labeling Obama as soft on crime. As I've written repeatedly during the past 18 months, Obama has not been progressive enough on crime issues. And Joe Biden (see here, here and here) never met a crime bill or a funding proposal for law enforcement he ...

Signs Obama Will Disappoint Marijuana Reformers
TalkLeft — ... and Radley Balko here), Allen points out three other stumbling blocks: Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, ONDCP Transition Team Director Dr. Don Vereen and likely Drug Czar Former Congressman James Ramstad. ...