Peter Wehner writes on Commentary’s Contentions website:

It is striking that when speaking about Barack Obama’s years in Chicago, Democrats invoke like an incantation his work as a community organizer–which I gather is not all that impressive–rather than his record as a state legislator. You would never know that Obama does in fact have a legislative record; it’s simply one Democrats cannot highlight without doing enormous damage to Obama.

I have written pieces that document Obama’s overall legislative record and his fluctuating and misguided positions on Iraq. And today the Washington Times does us the service ofexamining, with some care, Obama’s record as an Illinois state senator. According to theTimes,

Sen. Barack Obama will portray himself Thursday night as an agent of change for mainstream America, but his eight-year voting record in the Illinois Senate shows the Democrat was on occasion an agent of isolation who took stands – particularly on anti-crime legislation – that put him to the left of his own party.

Mr. Obama was the only member of the state Senate to vote against a bill to prohibit the early release of convicted criminal sexual abusers; was among only four who voted against bills to toughen criminal sentences and to increase penalties for “gangbangers” and dealers of Ecstasy; and voted “present” on a bill making it harder for abusive parents to regain custody of their children, a Washington Timesreview of Illinois legislative records shows.

You might think that Obama’s voting record in Illinois would be of intense interest to the media, given how few achievements Obama has and how little is known about him. But you would be wrong. There has been far more attention on his biography than on his stands on the issue or his underlying political philosophy. For example, Obama is able to take the most radical stand on abortion imaginable, and yet there is far more coverage given to the number of houses owned by Cindy McCain.

Barack Obama, based on his voting record, has established himself as the most liberal nominee since George McGovern. On issue after issue, Obama has positioned himself outside–and in some instances far outside–the American political mainstream. We can only hope that during the next 68 days there will be far more attention devoted to the substance of Obama’s record rather than his rhetoric and the mood he evokes.

Senator Obama, building on his post-primary victory, will try mightily to pretend that his political views are significantly different than his political record. His campaign depends on obscuring the reality of that record. Any person whose campaign is predicated on creating such large distortions and deceptions ought not to be elected President.