Obama Acknowledges Button-Pushing Mistakes In Votes

The Los Angeles Times reports that "During his eight years in state office, [Barack] Obama cast more than 4,000 votes. Of those, according to transcripts of the proceedings in Springfield, he hit the wrong button at least six times."

Hitting the wrong button means voting yes when you wanted to vote no, or vice versa. Mistakes are apparently not uncommon and state lawmakers like Obama are permitted to change the record to reflect their presumed true intensions, but, according to the Times, there is some skepticism concerning doing so.

"…some lawmakers say the practice also offers a relatively painless way to placate both sides of a difficult issue," the Times notes. "Even if a lawmaker admits an error, the actual vote stands and the official record merely shows the senator's 'intent.'"

The story plays into the two narratives about Obama that his rivals and critics are trying to push: First that he is inexperienced and thus mistake-prone, and second that he is unwilling to take tough positions. As the Times points out, rival Hillary Clinton said this to Obama in a debate on Monday: "It is very difficult having a straight-up debate with you, because you never take responsibility for any vote, and that has been a pattern."