Senate Passes Stem Cell Bill -- Goes to Bush for Veto

[Bob Geiger]

In a bipartisan display that should send a clear message to a White House bent on exercising the first presidential veto of George W. Bush's tenure, the U.S. Senate this afternoon approved H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which will expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and give hope to millions suffering from life-threatening or crippling diseases.

The vote was 63-37, meaning that it is extremely unlikely that Senate Democrats could rally the 67 votes necessary to override a certain Bush veto.

"There has been an upsurge of demand," said Hillary Clinton (D-NY). "Support for this legislation has crossed every line we could imagine, certainly partisan lines, ethnic, racial, geographic lines."

Republican supporters agreed, with Orrin Hatch (R-UT) saying that "this is the bill that will help provide the long overdue expansion of the number of stem cell lines eligible for federally funded biomedical research. This is what our leading scientists have told us they want and need to move the field of stem cell research forward."

But any hope that Bush would change his mind about vetoing the bill -- perhaps as early as tomorrow -- was shattered today by White House Press Secretary Tony Snow.

"The simple answer is he thinks murder's wrong," said Snow at the daily press briefing. "The president is not going to get on the slippery slope of taking something living and making it dead for the purposes of scientific research."

Also passed today -- both by 100-0 votes -- were S. 3505, Rick Santorum's (R-PA) Fetus Farming Prohibition Act and S. 2754, the Alternative Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapies Enhancement Act.

But H.R. 810 was the one everyone was watching as it was the legislation that would open the door to a new era of medical research in America -- and one supported by two out of three Americans and overwhelmingly sought by the scientific community and medical organizations.

Look for George W. Bush to slam that door tomorrow.

You can reach Bob Geiger at [e-mail].

[Vickers]

1. "he thinks murder's wrong"

Oh? I guess Iraqi civilians aren't worth as much as American embryos.

:eyes:

[Double T]

4. don't forget the texas inmates he sent to their deaths.......

and laughed about IT TOO!!!

[bluestateguy]

2. I don't take any of Bush's "veto threats" seriously. He'll sign it.

When has he ever backed one of these "threats" with an actual veto?

[MikeNearMcChord]

3. Call me a cynic, but I don't Bush is really

that much opposed to stem cell research, the veto is a sop to the fundies. The Bush family will probably make money off the stem cells, does Carlyle or Haliburton have a research arm?

[Zookeeper]

12. His cronies would make more money if the research...

was conducted privately, simply because if a cure is found, the technology would be privately owned and could be withheld until they figured out a way to make a profit from it.

Call me extremely cynical, but I don't think Chimpy ever adopts a position without being sure it will further enrich his cronies.

[SeattleGirl]

5. "The simple answer is he thinks murder's wrong."

Oh really? Really? Hmmmm. So, the killing of innocent Iraqi civilians, brought on by a war based on lies, isn't murder, huh? Oh, right. It's "collateral damage." Well, Tony, thanks so much for setting me straight about this. I really didn't realize that using a collection of stem cells to further the health and well-being of people ALREADY BORN was murder, whereas lying ones way into an invasion wherein many many innocent people are killed isn't. Thank you so very much, Tony. Oh, and thank you so very much, Mr. Bush, for protecting innocent collections of cells. Why, what WOULD this world come to if stem cell research were allowed to proceed?

(:sarcasm: in case you didn't get it.)

[jean]

6. "he thinks murder's wrong." The man is a prolific murderer, there

aren't enough hours in his day or he'd have an even higher death toll under his cowboy belt.

"... the president is not going to get on the slippery slope of taking something living and making it dead."

The man and his minions are mass murderers.

[sam sarrha]

7. he will save the embryos so they can flush them down the toilet when the

expiration date is up ..

[jimshoes]

8. Shock and Awe is

A-OK though. Collateral damage is ...well... collateral damage but an embryo that has 0 chance of living outside the womb is off limits. :eyes:

[demdiva]

9. Congrats to StemPAC www.stempac.org!!! Good all around!!!!

Not only does this mean that the Senate passed a very important bill today, but it also means that the Senate republicans are running to the left. And what does that mean? They are scared about being seen as Bush republicans this fall. This is good all around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ishoutandscream2]

10. Yes, this is a big deal

Politically as well as morally. Even the Republican controlled Senate is going against the fundy's and Lord Fuckoff. This should be an interesting mid-term election season to be sure.

[Auntie Bush]

11. Well isn't he taking our living soldiers and making them dead?

"The simple answer is he thinks murder's wrong," said Snow at the daily press briefing. "The president is not going to get on the slippery slope of taking something living and making it dead for the purposes of scientific research."

Shouldn't whoever tosses all those unwanted embryos in the garbage...be charged with murder?