Republicans....bah

Ok, I need to buy one of these because I keep watching that damn Fox News.

Watching is really a misnomer. I flip past and sometimes watch to see just how bad they are. When Brit Hume was interviewing Bill Richardson and Newt Gingrich, I watched for a bit--kind of like watching a 2 on 1 basketaball play.

Sure enough, Brit acted just as I thought. When the topic of Shiavo came up, Hume asked Richardson about it. Richardson said that he thought that true conservatives would be bothered by the congress and President intruding on this family affair. Hume pointed out (correctly) that many of the family members disagreed with him. Richardson misspoke then saying that if he were in that position, he would want to keep her alive, but would not turn to the congress, president and the courts.

That last part was the mistake and Newt pounced--saying that liberals wanted convicted murderers on death row to have appeals, but not innocent people in hospital beds. Balls. Hume pointed out that the state's right's argument had been used to defend segregation. Right. Of course, Hume never trotted that out when Bush believed in state's rights. You remember that--before he used the Supreme Court to override the Florida courts? To win the Presidency? (note, I really don't care about that particular case, but it does violate the President's own words. Of course, most of his policies do that, but who is counting? Certainly not his supporters).

But see what Newt did? He pulled a little slight of hand--focusing on an appeals process to say that liberals like murderers more than Terry Shiavo. That is a rhetorical falsehood. First, no one has said that the courts should not be involved in this situation, though everyone notes that it would be easier if the documentation was in place to make the courts less necessary. But if you were listening to Newt, you would think that the Shiavo family supporters have had no legal access. This case has been litigated in and out. Appealed and then appealed. Some thought the family took that too far, but I didn't hear anyone trying to limit that access. They used the courts--they just didn't get the result they wanted.

What conservatives should be--and most are--mad about is the congress and President intruding on this. And there, Richardson was just outplayed by the Newt. Conservatives used to believe that the government should stay out of things like this. Some still do. But don't tell Newt and Fox news. They really operate from one "principle"--whatever keeps us in power is our principle.