AmericanPapist Comments
It is troubling, but my understanding is that he has promised Senator Brownback that he would at least hold the Bush position.
The question is what exactly is his current opinion? His official site says on this that he is against creating human embryos for use in ESCR and that he is against cloning. So this pretty much precludes all current research. His position seems to only allow for use of frozen human embryos from IVF.
Pretty much all current research is involved in cloning since this would be the only reliable way to get a patient tissue match because they have had significant problems using tissue from others just like with organ transplants - though much worse.
There is some ambiguity in his position since it is not totally clear whether his opposition to creating embryos and cloning really includes opposition to so-called therapeutic cloning. If it does he might just as well come out opposed to ESCR since effectively this would be the case. I wish someone would be more specific in their questioning.
He hasn't seen sufficient evidence to change his position? Good God, when did he ever seen sufficient evidence to support it in the first place?
Memo to Brownback, et al.:
He is NOT going to become a conservative. Not now, not ever.
He has only a passing interest in conservatives, b/c he thinks he will win based on his "moderation."
That, and that's what his ego tells him--that he simply will win.
Politically, he's playing it smart. The majority of the country supports ESCR, and for those who don't, why not dare them to stay home and see a Democrat get elected and appoint liberal Supreme Court justices? On the other hand, he has to play to the center, or he won't win even if the conservative base is behind him. Moderate Republicans and Independents will vote Democrat if he swings to the right, and it's curtains on anything important to conservatives for at least four years, especially with a Democratic Congress.
At least this time it seems that he's still open to how the science is developing whereas before he spoke like he had already come to his final decision. Hardly any progress, but now is the time to launch our massive educational campaign on stem cells so that he has fewer excuses - pummel his HQ with info on the positives of ASC and the total waste of time researching ESC.
Isn't it a little too soon to cut off our nose to spite our face? We need to be careful here that our own people are not launching hysterics and much ado in an effort to be relevant. I am not with McCain on a few issues - the most important one ESCR and if he picks Romney as a running mate - that will be enough to stamp the whole thing a charade and vote Democrat so my own children can get loans to go to college. That aside, reasonable people conclude that ESCR is not the straw that breaks the camel's back when up against the alternatives.
I've always been a supporter of Austin Ruse but have grown increasingly appalled by the way he conducts himself.
On the call, everyone very succinctly stated their name and affiliation and proceeded with their question. When it came to Austin, he launched an infomercial about himself as everyone sat on the call cringed wondering if he was ever going to get to the question for the Senator. There was an embarrassing implicit message that Austin was groveling to get into the political momentum that has apparently taken off without him.
The political timing was beyond amateur.
Seems in the past few years, he's dissatisfied with his political influence and doesn't know how to win friends and influence people so his behavior has deteriorated into unbecoming.
I agree with Thomas, where did McCain see 'sufficient scientific evidence' to support ESCR? As far as I know, there isn't a single successful treatment involving ESCs, but several thousand involving ASCs.
If anyone is going to lose this election for McCain, it's McCain himself. The last thing he needs to do is make himself more 'Democrat' than the social conservative base thinks he is. There simply is no reason why he should be hanging on to ESCR unless he's made some pre-presidency agreements with some research firms and pharmaceutical companies, or unless he's just a freaking idiot.
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