THIS IS WAY MORE IMPORTANT THAN A CERTAIN V.P. CANDIDATE'S LIES. THIS IS WHAT THE ROVE-BOTS DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT. From the Folo blog, which is Mississippi lawyers, mostly. They are currently watching the Republican struggle in court to print illegal ballots to try to throw a tight Senate race there. From poster NMC: "Reasons for voting for (or against) a presidential candidate to me almost never relate to their religious views, problems within their family, or personal lives. There are times when it could matter (but only as one of a series of data points and no more).  We are all to some degree or other flawed, without exception.  Whether we care enough to know what is going on in the world is one thing that matters to me. Here’s one that matters even more:  Where a candidate stands on the constitution and the rule of law.  Barack Obama made a speech this week that got very little attention (far less than, say, the question of whether Sarah Palin hid her pregnancy).  It was a profoundly important policy speech by a nominee for president that draws a line, with clarity and courage.   It should factor into your decision, either way.  From a Washington Post story about the speech: But Obama, who taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago for more than a decade, said captured suspects deserve to file writs of habeas corpus. Calling it “the foundation of Anglo-American law,” he said the principle “says very simply: If the government grabs you, then you have the right to at least ask, ‘Why was I grabbed?’ And say, ‘Maybe you’ve got the wrong person.’” The safeguard is essential, Obama continued, “because we don’t always have the right person.” “We don’t always catch the right person,” he said. “We may think it’s Mohammed the terrorist, but it might be Mohammed the cab driver. You might think it’s Barack the bomb-thrower, but it might be Barack the guy running for president.” Obama turned back to Palin’s comment, although he said he was not sure whether Palin or Rudy Giuliani said it. “The reason that you have this principle is not to be soft on terrorism. It’s because that’s who we are. That’s what we’re protecting,” Obama said, his voice growing louder and the crowd rising to its feet to cheer. “Don’t mock the Constitution. Don’t make fun of it. Don’t suggest that it’s not American to abide by what the founding fathers set up. It’s worked pretty well for over 200 years.”