Weird: Some self-proclaimed pedophile w/ a website has been handicapping the 2008 election based on the “cuteness” of underage kids of the candidates.

Stupid: Upon finding out that this included his daughters, Barack Obama is threatening legal action — even though what the pedophile did, though creepy, was in no way criminal. He didn’t digitally alter their photos to look like kiddie porn, he didn’t threaten to do anything to them, he just commented on them. Most you can do in this case is say “that’s sick” and move on…that is, unless you don’t believe in free speech.

Yeah, you read that right. My view of free speech is that the best way to protect it for the average Joe is to make sure even nutjobs can say whatever. Once you start getting into “it’s OK to say this, but not THAT, as I find it offensive”, you stop defending freedom of speech and start building the inevitable case for speech codes. That Obama is taking it to this level, to me, is a sign that he’s starting to buy into his own hype: “they can’t do that, I’m a SENATOR! I could be PRESIDENT! How DARE they offend their future leader!”