Tom DeLay needs to keep Terri Schiavo alive in the worst way, because her tragic plight is a political feeding tube for his comatose, scandal-ridden career.
What else can explain DeLay's utter cynicism, and his blatant use of a terrible family tragedy for political gain, waving the flag of "life" to his religious base. This is a man who would subpoena a woman who has been in a persistant vegetative state for 15 years to appear before Congress. This is a man who would say this: "All we're doing in Congress is giving Terri Schiavo an opportunity to come to the Federal courts and review what this judge in Florida has been doing, and he's been trying to kill Terri for 4 1/2 years." Trying to kill Terri. Say it a few times out loud. Now just say "Terri" like you know her, like you know her husband, like you know her parents. Like you're right there for her, holding her hand. What breed of reptilian creature would say those words?
Walk across to the other side of the Capitol and here's what Bill Frist's leadership is handing out to its Republican Senators by way of GOP talking points:
- "This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited..."
- "This is a great political issue... this is a tough issue for Democrats."
Ah Frist, the respected heart doctor who - after viewing some videotape from the hospice where Terri Schiavo lays without communication - went to the Senate floor and said her doctors were wrong. "She certainly seems to respond to visual stimuli," said the doc.
It would be wonderful if Terri Schiavo awoke, if her family didn't have this burden. I don't know if her feeding tube should be maintained or not, don't know if there's any chance at cognition. Her court-appointed guardian (that's Florida's state guardian, all you anti-Federalists) spent a great deal of time trying to get the young woman to respond. His report and his memories of the experience are moving indeed. I admit, as he does, that it's hard not to think of miracles.
I do know that the Republicans, as Jim Wolcott writes, are "treating this poor woman as if she were their personal pet rock." There's Senator Frist building his case for conservative support in the 2008 primaries. There's Congressman DeLay turning the spotlight from his ongoing corruption probes. And there's Terri Schiavo, unaware of either of them, or anything else.
UPDATE: Our embarrassing Congress (yes, including the Democrats) has apparently reached some compromise to extend the might of the Federal government's legislative branch into this family's tragedy, and our President plans to return to Washington on Monday to sign the slip of paper. Meanwhile, Joe Gandelman has a great round-up of other opinion on this ranging from calls to send in Federal marshals (from Republicans!) to personal descriptions of similar family tragedies (including one from Joe's own family). Chervokas recalls his father-in-law's last days, and adds this: "...as much as I despise the nattering, self-serving, hogwash of the Republican leadership, I nurture a special contempt for religious leaders who teach that the court-ordered force feeding of a woman who will never think again is a celebration of life." More in the same vein from Matthew Yglesias: "... the rank partisanship, crass opportunism, and utter disregard for principle or common decency that the GOP's been displaying on this front for the past several days are quite possibly the most stomach-turning series of events it's been my misfortune to witness in my (admittedly small number of) years as an observer of the American political scene." Hey Matt, I've been around a while and this also ranks as a stomach-turner for me as well. Jarvis points out that this is a rare public moment when liberals and libertarians agree and aren't afraid to say so. And The Bull Moose (libertarian, conservative Democrat) says that the Republicans "give grandstanding a bad name."
