Bob Barr was for the War on Drugs before he was against it. Flip-flop? Yes. Can he "get away with it?" (Meaning, since he has no electoral prospects to speak of, can he sound convincing and not insult our intelligence?) Yes. Like this:

As both a U.S. Attorney and Member of Congress, I defended drug prohibition. But it has become increasingly clear to me, after much study, that our current strategy has not worked and will not work. The other candidates for president prefer not to address this issue, but ignoring the failure of existing policy exhibits both a poverty of thought and an absence of political courage. The federal government must turn the decision on drug policy back to the states and the citizens themselves.

My change in perspective might shock some people, but leadership requires a willingness to assess evidence and recognize when a strategy is not working. We are paying far too high a price for today's failed policy to continue it simply because it has always been done that way….

I wish that more politicians would realize that they could get away with a flip-flop if they would own up to the former position without cavil and then own the change. That would, you might say, build a bridge.

Yes, I know this is a repeat.

Last 5 posts by Ken

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