Hillary Locks and Loads

Ah, what a wonderful thing is democracy. It may have its flaws, but there's nothing better, particularly the pleasures of a national election with early contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. What else to make of the latest press release from Senator Clinton's campaign, touting Senator Obama's one-time support of "banning all handguns" as evidence that calls Mr. Obama's "electability" into question?

Well, it's a pleasure to welcome Mrs. Clinton to the Second Amendment side of the debate. It's a new development; back in 2000, when Mrs. Clinton was running for Senate, she backed the "Million Mom March" for gun control, and, according to CNN, told the Newspaper Association of America, "We have to do more to stand up to those who refuse to believe the reality that guns do kill and that common-sense gun measures can make a difference." When she ran for re-election in 2006, she earned a rating of "F" from the National Rifle Association's Political Victory Fund.

For some the gun issue is about the Constitution; for Mrs. Clinton, it's apparently about "electability." We're less concerned about her motive than amused to see our senator attacking Mr. Obama from the right over the right-to-keep-and-bear-arms — and in a year that has seen high-profile deadly shooting sprees at Virginia Tech, Colorado churches, and a Nebraska shopping mall. To those who say this is no way to elect a president, here's an example of the way in which the prospect of confronting voters in an election pulls a politician closer to a mainstream policy position.