The Schiavo issue

[scaeagles]

By the way, while I don't have the exact Senate counts, the bill signed by Bush passed overwhelmingly, and in the House, it passed with a 4 to 1 margin.

Hardly an issue of the republicans forcing something through.

[Claire]

http://abstractappeal.com/schiavo/infopage.html

Will shed some light for a lot of people on this thread.....

[surfinmuse]

Originally Posted by Claire

http://abstractappeal.com/schiavo/infopage.html Will shed some light for a lot of people on this thread.....

Great site, thanks Claire. Earlier today I was reading up on the most recent happenings over the weekend, and I had a sneaking suspicion there is a lot more backstory to this, and here there it is on that website, succintly w/o being broad or vague.

[SacTown Chronic]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

By the way, while I don't have the exact Senate counts,

I believe it passed through the Senate virtually unopposed.


I don't know if they're gonna get the Dems to bite too hard on this one. At least not hard enough to affect the '06 midterm elections. Fool me twice and all that rot.

[SacTown Chronic]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

Hardly an issue of the republicans forcing something through.

You didn't get the memo?

Springing da trap


"Although Republicans publicly rejected any ulterior motives, a memo surfaced over the weekend calling the Schiavo case "a great political issue" and saying that Christian conservatives would be "excited" by the Senate debate."

On Monday, they characterized the extraordinary decision to step into the middle of a legal dispute as the U.S. government taking a stand for "the culture of life."

Democrats, for their part, faced a "no-win" situation, another party official said. Although Senate Democrats could have objected in order to delay the proceedings, none did so. Only three senators actually showed up for the voice vote.

"The Republicans were demagoguing it to the point where they would go in and basically attack Democrats saying, 'They want to kill her, they want to kill her,"' the official said."



As I said: Trap set, trap avoided.

[Claire]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...cs_dc&e=1&ncid=

Writing in the Wall Street Journal last Friday, conservative columnist and former White House speechwriter Peggy Noonan set out the stakes for Republicans.


"The Republican Party controls the Senate, the House and the White House. The Republicans are in charge. They have the power. If they can't save this woman's life, they will face a reckoning from a sizable portion of their own base. And they will of course deserve it," Noonan wrote.

[Claire]

Also, of interest:

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...avo_texas_dc_1

Bush said he stepped into the Schiavo case because the United States should have "a presumption in favor of life," but there were 152 executions in Texas during his administration, including some in which the convict's guilt was in doubt, critics said.

He only granted one stay. 152 executions? Holy crap! Even I didn't know the number was that large.

But in Tucson yesterday, he claims to that it's "wise" to err on the side of life:

A couple issues that I do want to talk about. Democrats and Republicans in Congress came together last night to give Terri Schiavo's parents another opportunity to save their daughter's life. This is a complex case with serious issues. But in extraordinary circumstances like this, it is wise to always err on the side of life. I appreciate the work of the Senate and the House to get that bill for me to sign last night at about 1:08 - or this morning at about 1:08.

The complete transcript is here:
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/breakin...05bushtalk.php

[Claire]

It's happened.

Bill O'Reilley and I pretty much agree here.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,151122,00.html

It's the end of the world as I know it.