Scientific Progress That Worries "Progressives"

Liberals like to call themselves "progressives", but they are notably against making progress in certain areas. Like winning the war in Iraq. Heaven forbid, or President Bush's popularity rating would improve. Or the Strategic Defense Initiative, which liberals pooh-poohed as "Star Wars" when President Reagan introduced the concept in the 1980s. Leftists hated SDI because they knew that advancement by the U.S. in that field would undermine their long-favored policy of appeasement towards the Soviets.

A more recent liberal pet peeve has been the ongoing scientific research into alternatives for embryonic stem cell research. Progress on this front would, of course, take away the false Democratic talking point that the sick are being denied new medical cures because the Republicans keep insisting on protecting embryonic life. For folks who like to claim they are more "scientific" than, say, the Creation Museum, these "progressives" have advanced a rather ironic agenda that is decidedly against scientific progress in the use of non-embryonic cells.

Today there is only bad news for the anti-embryo crowd. According to the Associated Press, scientists have reported in the journals Science and Cell "that they had coaxed regular human cells into mimicking the disease-fighting potential of embryonic stem cells - without destroying budding human life." AP comments that this "breakthrough in stem cell research could give President Bush and his anti-abortion allies a political I-told-you-so in a debate Democrats have long been planning to use in next year's elections."

AP reports this comment from Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell: "Maybe we can all now reach agreement on what has been an all-too-divisive issue and advance this promising research through the power of federal funds." So Dr. Cassaro, Esq., what do you think?

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.