Leonardo"s Notebook by Mattheus Mei

I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

2nd Presser Stem Cell Question, another "Paygrade" moment?

The President was asked by a Washington Times Reporter if he wrestled with the Stem Cell Decision. While there were usable quotes such as these picked up by the liveblogs:

The Swamp
"By the time an issue reaches my desk, it's a hard issue."

The Politico
"I have no investment in causing controversy. I'm happy to avoid it - if that's where the science leads us"

It's the 'connective tissue' of his response and back and forth with the WT reporter that will generate the most grief from certain quarters of conservatism and pro-life liberalism. I picked it up and was left with a sour taste in my mouth.

But it cuts both ways, as Washington Post live blogger Alec MacGillis summarizes, "
He also resisted pointing out an inaccurate phrasing in the question, which suggested that research on adult stem cells has so far proven more fruitful than that with embryonic stem cells. This is not the case. There have been some breakthroughs with adult skin cells, but the vast majority of scientists agree that embryonic stem cells hold far more promise. If they haven't produced more breakthroughs, that is partly because the biggest funding source in the world, the NIH, has been prohibited from funding most research involving embryonic stem cells -- until now."

Admittedly though that information does not matter to those of us who would rather not have the embryos destroyed in the first place, or in reality, created.

The point being is that the question, for this President, is a damned if you do - damned if you don't moment.

I also look to the usual sources to sound the alarm and call to arms tomorrow.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm happy to know that there is one issue that we are almost perfectly aligned on. The stem cell debate is probably one of the most politicized issues while also being one of the least understood.