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Saturday, March 19, 2005

GOP Heal Thyself

The Moose notes that Republicans are giving grandstanding a bad name.

The Moose is conflicted over the Terri Schiavo case. On the one hand, it is better to err on the side of life. However, it is impossible to substitute one's opinion from afar for that of those physicians who have treated Shiavo and the judges who have adjudicated her case.

What is clear, however, is that the Congressional Republicans are engaged in an orgy of grandstanding. The good doctor Frist has his eye trained on the Iowa caucus rather than the Hippocratic oath. One wonders how the Doctor would have reacted a few years back if Congress had intervened in his heart cases. Attempting to court the Republican base, Senator Frist is acting as if he was a charter member of Operation Rescue.

Meanwhile, Tom DeLay has evidently detected that an Al Qaeda cell has infiltrated the Florida medical community. The Washington Post reports,

"House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) called the removal of the feeding tube "barbarism" and "an act of medical terrorism."

It is truly touching that the compassionate Republicans are so dedicated to ensuring that the vulnerable in our society receive the medical treatment they need. Golly gee, the Moose forgot that this crew just attempted to cut Medicaid benefits for the poor. At least the Catholic Church is consistent in its support for life.

Perhaps, the GOP is reconsidering its position on assisting folks who are down on their luck. Maybe the Republicans will reassess their position on making it more difficult to declare bankruptcy for those who suffer financial disaster after a medical catastrophe! Fat chance!

And adding to this crude display of Republican hypocrisy is their new position on the federal judiciary. Here's how the conservative New York Post describes it,

"So, a Republican Congress that worries about judicial activism passes a bill - with hardly any debate - that expands the power of federal courts? Lovely."

Maybe, Dr. Frist will now rescind the "nuclear option" threat because the GOP evidently is not dedicated to a conservative federal judiciary, after all!
-- Posted at 12:16 PM | Link to this post | Email this post