Insightful points. Only thing I would add is if there is a way for Romney's surrogates to successfully make a big deal out of the New Party thing, it will likely be in context of the campaign's strong denial and cover-up. Average citizens don't care whether Obama was a socialist in the 90's, but most people do raise their eyebrows at a politician being caught in a provable lie. Obama's campaign said that Kurtz' 2008 allegations were a "crackpot smear", and that was a lie.

Hopefully if any of the Repubs win, one of the first things he/she will do is to fully and unconditionally pardon this Marine, and extend an apology on behalf of the un-American jerks in NYC who seem to be unclear on the concept of "shall not be infringed": http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/03/marine-faces-fi...

I'm afraid we can't look to President Obama for sympathy.

It is fun to pick on the Obamas, because they do almost everything wrong. But in this case, I expect it was a decision made by the Secret Service, potentially without Mrs. Obama even being involved. And I'm not sure it was a wrong decision. The timing was certainly unfortunate, and I hope apologies/sympathies get exchanged related to the British seaman who passed away. But on the other hand, there are reasons why the Secret Service are the best in the world at what they do. They ultimately would rather be on the safe side with their mission than avoid annoying people, and they do it for Dem and Repub first families alike.

The essay finds significance in the battle's falling on the same day as the signing of the US Constitution, highlighting Lincoln's goal of eliminating slavery from our country, thus implying that Lincoln overturned an evil established by the Constitution. (I'm thankful Mr. Schaeffer didn't go so far as to echo many modern liberals in branding the Constitution itself as a basically evil document.)

I think there is a place in rational conversation among non-bigoted people of good will for those who say that (a) Abraham Lincoln changed the fundamental nature of our country through force of arms, instead of through the force of the will of the people peacefully expressed by law. (b) Freeing the slaves was very important, but doing so immediately wasn't worth the bloodbath that Lincoln commenced. (c) Abraham Lincoln was easily the worst President in our history, both in terms of his personal opposition to specific American freedoms and in terms of actual damage done. (d) Most of the Civil War was fought as a defensive war, and even Lee's incursion north into Pennsylvania was ultimately a desperate defensive move.

Being told at gunpoint that the fundamental nature of our Constitutional government was being changed by fiat from an arrogant, monarchial Washington DC wasn't what the states originally signed up for. If you want to know the expectations of the states when originally ratifying the Constitution of the USA, check out this selection from Virginia's original ratification (June 26, 1788), pasted at the end.

The nightmare that Virginia's ratifying convention dreaded actually did come to pass. A government in Washington, DC took the view that it held all powers over the states that it wanted to, the Constitution be d&*(@d. The federal government with supposedly limited, specifically enumerated powers took it upon itself to make war on the states. Note the extra insistence at the end that the freedom of the press was under no circumstance to be infringed. Mr. Lincoln had no such scruples; his thugs made short work of anyone who dared to question his monarchial authority.

From VA's 1788 ratification:
WE the Delegates of the people of Virginia, duly elected in pursuance of a recommendation from the General Assembly, and now met in Convention, having fully and freely investigated and discussed the proceedings of the Federal Convention, and being prepared as well as the most mature deliberation hath enabled us, to decide thereon, DO in the name and in behalf of the people of Virginia, declare and make known that the powers granted under the Constitution, being derived from the people of the United States may be resumed by them whensoever the same shall be perverted to their injury or oppression, and that every power not granted thereby remains with them and at their will: that therefore no right of any denomination, can be cancelled, abridged, restrained or modified, by the Congress, by the Senate or House of Representatives acting in any capacity, by the President or any department or officer of the United States, except in those instances in which power is given by the Constitution for those purposes: and that among other essential rights, the liberty of conscience and of the press cannot be cancelled, abridged, restrained or modified by any authority of the United States.