In some circles, Barack Obama's statement that he takes the view when human life actually begins and should be protected is above his "pay grade" has been lampooned.

Ouch!

I say "ouch" because that's my view, too.

The otherwise thoughtful Peggy Noonan rhetorically asks: "To put it another way, with conception something begins. What do you think it is? A car? A 1948 Buick?"

OK, I'll answer, Ms. Noonan: Conception begins a potential human life. When that potential human life deserves to be treated with the full rights of an actual human life is beyond my pay grade, too. No, it's not a car, not a 1948 Buick. Are these serious questions, Ms. Noonan, or mere rhetorical flourishes?

Obama demonstrated with this statement a sense of humility, a quality that I value in myself, others, and most especially politicians. Perhaps Ms. Noonan does not. Perhaps she admires those (zealots?) who believe they have all the answers. Good for them, I say, but I am disinclined to vote for someone who posits the perfection of their opinions. Scary!

I do, however, respect the pro-life view. I would say to those that believe that abortion is murder, this:

Is it not obvious that the pre-born are different than the born? If you wish to convince us that the pre-born should have full human rights, please do your best to convince those of us who don't. While I agree with you that Roe v. Wade was inappropriately decided, is it not obvious that the horse is out of the barn? Getting full rights for the pre-born will require you to convince a broader number of people of your position. Snide swipes at open-minded pro-choicers seems to alienate more than persuade.

Noonan goes on to take a swipe at "parsing" on complex issues. I for one had to fight the urge to eyeroll. It seems obvious that complex, complicated issues sometimes require some reflection.

Life, sad to say, is not a comic book.

-RC