Liberal shocked, shocked! to find identity politics going on in the NY Senate pick.

Let the record show that I say the following without heat: I don’t think that I’ve ever met Robert Stein, and I certainly have nothing against him. But this plaintive question via (Hot Air) is a bit rich:

In Illinois, the future felon Rod Blagojevich appoints Roland Burris amid calls to retain the President’s seat for an African-American and now, with Caroline Kennedy gone, New York’s governor speaks publicly and privately about “the importance of selecting a woman to replace Mrs. Clinton.”

With the critical questions facing the Senate, when and how did substantive qualifications fall behind demographics in making choices for such high office?

The answer is “January of 2007,” which is of course the point where the Democratic Party took control of Congress. To evoke Fred Thompson / Admiral Painter, those guys don’t take a dump without reading a poll first.

Case in point:

Barack Obama Postpones Decision to Send Tax Dollars Overseas for Abortion

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — In a move to downplay his pro-abortion agenda, President Barack Obama has decided to wait a little longer to reverse a Bush policy preventing taxpayer funding of abortions overseas. The Mexico City Policy prevents sending public funds to groups that perform or promote abortions in other countries.

The new president could either issue an order tomorrow or in the near future to reverse the policy or allow Congress to do it.

Obama was expected to overturn the pro-life policy on his first or second full days in office and to possibly do so today, on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.

However, a CBN News report indicates Obama will not overturn the policy on a day that pro-life advocates mourn the Supreme Court allowing virtually unlimited abortions.

Because doing it tomorrow will make pro-lifers feel so much better about it, of course. I think Ed Morrissey has it right: President Obama might try to have Congress do the dirty work for him on this one. Or maybe he just froze under pressure. Although I suppose that the two possibilities aren’t mutually exclusive.

Meanwhile, Rep Mike Pence (R) is trying to get Planned Parenthood stripped of its federal funding. Will he succeed? Not likely, but sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe in, you know?

You know?