1115.org

George W. Bush’s first significant cave-in to the insane religious right was his inexplicable 2001 decision to limit funding for any human stem cell research to a specific pool of approved lines. Rare for even a pre-9/11 issue, the debate over a national stem cell policy received a lot of attention, and was even announced by the President on national television in prime-time. Recognizing that this promising field could not be ignored, but still wary of the outrage from religious groups, the President (for perhaps the only time) fashioned a policy that cut down the middle. While it was a moderate position compared to the rest of his record, the decision to limit public funding and the stem cell lines it applied to was purely artificial, serving no scientific purpose.

Hoping to “soften” the policy’s image, the White House sent Laura Bush to advocate, despite her poor grasp of the role of science. It’s also important to note the distinction between public funding and private funding. While Bush abdicates his responsibility to lead, the United States is falling behind while South Korea is passing us by. Remember, pandering to extremists takes precedence over Americas leadership role in the world economy.

But of course the debate over stem cells is, or should be, about curing disease and providing a higher quality of life for people. It’s horrifying to consider the consequences had James Dobson or Bill Frist been leading their crusade when scientists were discovering cures for polio, advancing cancer treatments, or researching any number of other deadly ailments. Their politicization of science on issues such as evolution, AIDS, and countless others runs counter to not only fact, but exploration. Their absolutist views on the bible are forced on a nation founded on the separation of church and state and made exceptional due to the spirit of innovation and advancement.

It is to further placate the religious right that the President is threatening to veto a bill currently in Congress that would loosen the restrictions he alone placed on stem cell research four years ago.

Vetoes are rare, and for good reason. But Bush is the first President since James Garfield in the 1880s to not veto a bill. Garfield was President for less than a year, and spent much of that on his death bed after catching a bullet. Bush has signed bills like the criminal Medicare Boondoggle Act of 2003, the Bankruptcy Bill, and enough tax cuts to bankrupt the whole country, all without even a serious veto threat.

And now that a bipartisan bill is pending that would at least blunt the scientific damage due to limits on stem-cell research, the President is talking veto. It’s good to know where our priorities are: Health and welfare of our citizens + jobs + leading the world in science < fellating the bible thumpers.