(Tony) Snow apologizes for ‘murder’ statement (with stem-cell research)

[sabra]

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14013127/

Snow apologizes for ‘murder’ statement
Spokesman says president would not use term with stem-cell research

WASHINGTON - White House press secretary Tony Snow apologized on Monday for suggesting that President Bush believed stem-cell research amounted to "murder," saying he was "overstating the president's position."

At issue was Snow's comment last Wednesday defending Bush's veto of legislation to expand federally financed research on stem cells obtained from unwanted embryos.

"The president believes strongly that for the purpose of research it's inappropriate for the federal government to finance something that many people consider murder. He's one of them," Snow said at the time.

...

Snow's characterization became an issue on Sunday for White House chief of staff Josh Bolten, who struggled on NBC's "Meet the Press" to answer whether Bush agreed with his spokesman that destruction of unwanted fertilized embryos was tantamount to murder?

[otohara]

1. Not to Mention - It's A Lie - Bush Does

believe in murder -

[Orrex]

4. That's offensive

But not nearly offensive enough! I'm sure that those 100,000+ murdered Iraqi civilians were asking for it, not to mention the hundreds of thousands who'll have to endure the side effects of their liberation for generations to come.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BOSSHOG]

2. Well what the fuck is it?

All this semantic mind fucking might piss off the religiously insane base. If its not murder why did he veto it? Is this a flip flop and fuck up on part of the white house around the military deserters first veto? Just like abortion. Its murder but fines in some states are a thousand dollar fine. A thousand dollar fine? For murder? My, my how easy it is to placate the morons amongst us.

[Demit]

6. I think Josh Bolten on MTP made it pretty clear.

Bush doesn't think the government should pay for the research. I think that's clearly the motive behind the veto. The "murder" appellation was just a sop to the fundie base. They have to pull back on that now because they couldn't defend the logic of it. S'okay, the base won't believe the pullback. They'll go on believing dear leader still thinks it's murder. Logic doesn't matter to them.

[tanyev]

15. He made it very clear that our tax dollars should not be used to fund

"murder". But Timmy neglected to ask him how come it's still OK for our tax dollars to be used to kill tens of thousands of Iraqis.

[Rose Siding]

19. I dunno -I think it'll piss off the base

Just one more little disappointment for the whacko righties. Bush might even lose the one (1) point he picked up last month ;)

[marmar]

3. At least you could laugh at Scotty...

I cannot stand Tony Snow. He's nothing but a garden-variety asshole. A culturally-insensitive, only-comfy-around-white-males jackass.

[yellowcanine]

8. Please do not associate the Snowman with gardens. Gardens are nice places

and so are the varieties that grow there.

[marmar]

9. My apologies to gardens and garden lovers everywhere.

But he would make good fertilizer, wouldn't he?

[yellowcanine]

11. What comes out of his mouth would anyway.

[acmejack]

14. My garden thanks you.

No, shit makes good fertilizer, tony would kill all living things. He is something you would plow into the Earth like the Romans did to Carthage, to ensure nothing could ever grow there again.

[notadmblnd]

16. yeah, but gardens do have weeds

and if you don't stay on top of the weeding.... they'll soon take over. that's what's happened here, the garden's been over run with weeds.

[rodeodance]

7. Bush has used the word 'killing' I think but has he every used 'murder'?

[CraigHinTenn]

10. another flip flop

[VegasWolf]

12. To bush, its not a stem cell, it's a Blastocyte-American. Retard president

[daleo]

23. I like Blasto-Americans

"Who will stand up for the Blasto-American community?"

[VaYallaDawg]

13. As soon as I heard it the first time I knew what would come next.

Throw out the "red meat" to keep the rabid Christian fundy base happy. Then the next day, "Oooops, we overstated our intent."

Thoroughly connived strategy, executed right on cue. Business as usual with this buncha crooks.

[samsingh]

17. not acceptable

[Rose Siding]

18. See Timmeh? Ask. The. Quetions.

Stuff might happen.

[IndyBob]

20. To the kool aid drinkers,

Tony speaks the truth. Bush never said murder, he said unjustified killing. Put this way, it does not conflict with the completely justified killing we are doing in the ME.

See how easy it was? We are good, they are evil. Our killing is good, their is evil. Keep this mantra in mind, and you too will be able to argue the current reich wing crap as well as Oxy-Rush. Why you would do this,....

[fujiyama]

21. Why bother with meaningless apologies

At this point only the brain deaad are listening to Tony Snow Job anyways.

These people are fuckin psychopaths and as we've seen they'll rationalize anything and everything.

[gratuitous]

22. So the press secretary doesn't speak for Bush anymore?

Every answer out of Snow's mouth should be followed up with the question, "So Tony, is that the president's position, or are you overstating again? After all, we don't want to report your words as the president's if you're just running your mouth. Again."

Snow has a credibility problem in a credibility-challenged administration. Neat trick.

[driver8]

24. Snow is a bigger joke than McLellan...if that is possible.

Snow seems to be a bit of a loose cannon; he seems to speak without engaging his brain quite frequently.

[truthisfreedom]

26. i agree. how many "retractions" has he attempted so far?

*shakes head*

[truthisfreedom]

25. we have definitions for things that make us "alive." for example, brain

activity. embryos have none, so they're legally brain-dead. a heartbeat and respiration indicates life. embryos have no heart or lungs. an embryo is more like a bacteria or virus than a human being, isn't it?

if doing research on embryos is murder, then what about letting sperm dry up on a bedsheet? isn't that murder as well, since each one represents potential life if united with an egg? since we have the technology to preserve sperm indefinitely, aren't we morally obligated to preserve all sperm at all cost? and eggs! not getting pregnant every single month should be illegal, because the female body discards the egg after a short time. shouldn't all eggs be gathered and frozen, rather than allowed to drop into the uterus and subsequently die?

anyone who believes that an embryo that is destined to be discarded should be kept indefinitely on ice instead of providing research materials that might save human lives cares more about the unalive than the live people. that's morally unforgiveable.