I get a bunch of emails from the ACLU. I’ve been saving them so that I can do another Gallant and Goofus post about effective and ineffective politics. The NRA rewards politicians who support them. They recognize who is in power and who isn’t. They know who to blame when laws need to be repealed or passed. The ACLU, up until a few weeks ago, has still been fighting George W. Bush. That’s a recipe for failure: if the ACLU continues to blame George W Bush, then what incentive is there for current politicians to do what the ACLU wants them to do?

If a politician just continues what they’ve been doing, the ACLU will continue to blame George W. Bush. If a politician does what the ACLU wants, then they take heat from someone else. It’s a no-brainer: ignore the ACLU.

The NRA doesn’t rant about stopping Bill Clinton when they want laws repealed or changed. They talk about current Senators, current White House officials, and current governors.

Ha ha! You see where I’m going here, right? The ACLU has found someone other than Bush to blame. August 25, they sent me an email asking me to sign their petition to oppose Sarah Palin’s calling the Ground Zero mosque insensitive. Today they sent another one, asking me to not “let Sarah Palin or anyone else define religious freedom as something that we need their permission to exercise.”

Do they think Sarah Palin is the secret president? Do they think Sarah Palin is a sitting governor? No. They’re continuing to blame someone in a manner that ensures that they don’t get their way. Sarah Palin can say whatever she wants, and we don’t need her permission for anything.

But fighting the battle in this way gives other politicians the excuse they need to go with the 70% of New Yorkers who think the mosque is insensitive. They now know that any problems with the mosque will be blamed not on their laws or regulations, but on Sarah Palin.

It’s as if the ACLU doesn’t want to win on these issues. As if they prefer fundraising to vote-changing.