Supreme Court Illustrates Importance of Next President

In a decision that was released earlier today, the Supreme Court provided us with a primary example of why deciding who is our next president is truly so important. According to the Washington Post, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5 to 4 decision that the procedures established by the Bush Administration to deal with detainees at Guantanamo Bay was simply unacceptable.

“The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times,” Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote. “Liberty and security can be reconciled; and in our system they are reconciled within the framework of the law.”

With some detainees being held for six years without receiving a hearing, Kennedy was right to remind Americans that we must follow the Constitution even when we’re “in extraordinary times.” Our founding fathers set forth a plan that has worked for hundreds of years and it cannot simply be abandoned when a president decides he needs to scare the public into believing that liberty is no longer important.

Despite the fact that Kennedy and four other Justices were able to see the importance of maintaining our Constitution, there were still four of those who believed the Constitution could simply be cast aside. With the possibility of some of the Justices retiring during the term of the next president, it is important that there continue to be a majority of Justices who believe in liberty and the American way. This is where there is a clear difference between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain.

When you consider that McCain represents a third Bush term and that Bush’s two appointments voted against this decision, a potential McCain nominee would put that majority at risk. This is extremely discouraging when you combine it with the fact that McCain has made it clear that he has no qualms about continuing Bush’s failed policies for at least another 100 years. Although a Supreme Court Justice probably wouldn’t serve for 100 years, many of them do serve for decades. This essentially means that McCain would have actually have an opportunity to ensure McCain/Bush way of thinking will have a negative impact on our country for decades to come.

Barack Obama, however, has made it clear that he disagrees with the negative policies that have been promoted by President Bush and wants to restore the  liberty here in America. He can be trusted to put forward a candidate who would truly remain true to those values that make America special. In other words, an Obama appointment will not risk the destruction of our Constitution like a McCain appointment would.