One of the best political analysts in the business (IMO) is the Philadelphia Inquirer's Dick Polman. While he says that Obama "screwed up badly during that fund-raiser in San Francisco," he finds it quite amusing that Hillary is portraying herself as a gun-loving, working class hero:

If you want to enjoy a belly laugh, here are three reliable suggestions: (1) rent an old Woody Allen movie, especially Bananas, (2) rent Borat, or (3) listen to Hillary Clinton, of all people, attack Barack Obama as "elitist."

This is the same woman who during the last seven years, as evidenced by her tax returns with Bill, has become a millionaire 109 times over; whose husband has long supported the Colombian free-trade deal (deemed hurtful to American workers); who long defended his signing of NAFTA; . . . who, during her Senate career, voted in favor of confiscating guns during a national emergency (one of only 16 senators to do so; Obama voted against confiscation); and who, during the Democratic debates, has refused to shed any light on why the Clintons are safeguarding the identities of the global heavy hitters who are bankrolling the Clinton Library.

Not that I would distrust what a guy like Polman says, as he's pretty careful with his facts, but still, there's "trust but verify."

So I checked it out, and it is absolutely true. Here are the votes from the Senate roll call:

Clinton (D-NY), Nay

Obama (D-IL), Yea

S.AMDT.4615
Amends: H.R.5441
Sponsor: Sen Vitter, David [LA] (submitted 7/12/2006) (proposed 7/12/2006)
AMENDMENT PURPOSE:
To prohibit the confiscation of a firearm during an emergency or major disaster if the possession of such firearm is not prohibited under Federal or State law.

Obama would let people keep their firearms during emergencies, while Hillary would confiscate them.

I realize that both candidates are terrible on the gun issue, but I'd love to know what sort of philosophical thinking might explain their different votes on this, because frankly, elitist Obama comes out smelling better than "populist" Hillary.

(For the record, I think they're both elitists, OK?)

In terms of the gun-clinging behavior that's been under discussion recently, I think most people would agree that during an emergency is when you'd most likely have a need to cling to a gun -- like insurance, it's a "when all else fails" kind of thing. I'm reminded of a remark Obama made about why you'd be more likely to need a gun in a rural area:

"And by the way, Michelle, my wife, she was traveling up, I think, in eastern Iowa, she was driving through this nice, beautiful area, going through all this farmland and hills and rivers and she said 'Boy, it's really pretty up here,' but she said, 'But you know, I can see why if I was living out here, I'd want a gun. Because, you know, 911 is going to take some time before somebody responds. You know what I mean? You know, it's like five miles between every house.'

"So the point is, though, we should be able to do that, and we should be able to enforce laws that keep guns off the streets in inner cities because some unscrupulous gun dealer is, you know, letting somebody load up a van with a bunch of cheap handguns or sawed-off shotguns and dumping them and selling them for a profit in the streets."

But what could be more condescending than Hillary's view that the government should take away people's guns during emergencies?

I agree with Polman that Hillary's pose is downright comical, and I think Obama was right to ridicule her as Annie Oakley.

If the dust ever settles on Obama's latest gaffe, people might begin to realize that his error was grounded in being too honest, because he reflected what is considered conventional wisdom among the Democratic elites. FWIW, I think Hillary is the one who is being dishonest right now in pretending otherwise.

Her campaign is in an emergency situation, and she's clinging to guns that by her own admission she has no right to have!