Present But Not Accounted For

IN The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama bemoaned the injustice one faced as a state legislator in a chamber controlled by the other party: “You must vote yes or no on whatever bill comes up, with the knowledge that it’s unlikely to be a compromise that either you or your supporters consider fair and or just.”

Actually, there’s that third option, voting “present”-which accounted for about one of every 31 votes in Obama’s legislative career, or 3.2 percent. And while Obama can explain some of his 129 “present” votes in eight years in the Illinois Senate, his frequent use of that third option stands out, even by the usual low standard of politicians trying to dodge tough decisions and cover their backs.

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Jim Geraghty

Jim Geraghty is the senior political correspondent of National Review.

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IN The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama bemoaned the injustice one faced as a state legislator in a chamber controlled by the other party: “You must vote yes or no on whatever bill comes up, with the knowledge that it’s unlikely to be a compromise that either you or your supporters consider fair and or just.”

Actually, there’s that third option, voting “present”-which accounted for about one of every 31 votes in Obama’s legislative career, or 3.2 percent. And while Obama can explain some of his 129 “present” votes in eight years in the Illinois Senate, his frequent use of that third option stands out, even by the usual low standard of politicians trying to dodge tough decisions and cover their backs.