By Emily Geiger

The talk of the Iowa political universe today is that former U.S. Rep. Jim Leach (allegedly a Republican) has endorsed Barack Obama for president.

I’m disgusted by this. While many of us have our reasons for not being thrilled with McCain, an actual endorsement of Obama crosses the line. Obama’s attempt to appeal to evangelicals by talking some of the talk of Christianity, all the while making a mockery of every ideal Christians should hold dear (i.e. life, marriage, family) is just evil. The sad thing is, he’s fooled many Christians in the process.

And he’s fooled Jim Leach too, particularly in the area of foreign policy. I truly think that many people, Leach included, just don’t understand the reality of a battle with radical Islam. Our notions of rational persuasion will not work with these people. There is no reasoning with them. We are infidels to them… the great satan himself. Talking isn’t going to do it. You have to have a president who they think might just be willing to push a blinking red button if it came right down to it. Violence and threats of violence are the only things many of these people understand. If you don’t believe me, read this.

The scary thing is, I actually think Leach believes what he’s saying. Deace had a theory last night that this was perhaps a ploy by Leach to suck up to Democrats in the state government and on the Board of Regents so that he will be named president of the University of Iowa if/when Sally Mason gets fired.

While that’s always a possibility and is quite an interesting theory, I don’t think that fits Leach’s M.O. He doesn’t do things for money. He doesn’t do things for prestige (besides, doesn’t he have leadership roles at Harvard and Princeton… the U of I doesn’t exactly match up).

I really think he’s sincere, sincerely wrong, but sincere nonetheless. This shows how flawed Leach’s judgment is/was/has become. It makes me glad that Leach is pretty much politically irrelevant now and can’t actually cast any votes that count.

The only downside is, Loebsack is actually worse, so pick your poison.