Posted by
Burorambo on Friday, September 21, 2007 5:00:34 PM
Politicians actively seeking office should be able to avoid answering difficult questions or voting (if they already occupy office) on difficult issues in the same way an individual giving testimony can avoid incriminating himself. Since it is not a matter necessarily of self-incrimination, they should be able to plead a different constitutional amendment than the 5th. Perhaps the 20th? So if Hillary Clinton doesn't want to support the resolution to slap wack MoveOn's fingers with a ruler for the Patraeus ad, she should be able to safely avoid the question by pleading the 20th. This would be like her saying she was not going to take a side in the matter on the grounds that it could endanger her candidacy. Pleading the 20th would be limited to being a rationale for refusing to take action, of course, not for adopting a rediculous position.