You don't salute a flag unless you know what it stands for. In the decades since polls took over the tempo of American political life, we have seen the final triumph of interests over issues as the issues became the matter of a day or an hour, while only the interests were permanent. Pat Buchanan is an extreme and dangerous man, but the one good thing you can say about him is he uses no pollster. What he stands for is repellent but at least you know. One of the worst choices of Clinton's presidency was his silence on the Communications Decency Act.
Freedom of speech is the cornerstone of all our liberties.
Without it, we are guaranteed nothing else. If a politician is not committed to the freedom of speech, he cannot be counted on. It is not a poker chip that can be traded away, as Mr. Clinton did, for something else. If you do not build your house on the freedom of speech, you are building on sand. The President's silence on the CDA was shameful.