Frist Finds His Backbone

Posted on July 29, 2005

The New York Times reports that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has actually found his backbone. Apparently, he's finally gotten tired of being called into Dick Cheney's office and told to be a good little errand boy. The scientist has won out over the overeager pleaser. Today, he announced that he is breaking with President Bush and is supporting relaxing restriction for federal funding for stem cell research.

Mr. Frist, a heart-lung transplant surgeon who said last month that he did not back expanding financing "at this juncture," announced his decision this morning in a lengthy Senate speech. He said that while he had reservations about altering Mr. Bush's four-year-old policy, which placed strict limits on taxpayer financing for the work, he supports the bill nonetheless.
"While human embryonic stem cell research is still at a very early stage, the limitations put in place in 2001 will, over time, slow our ability to bring potential new treatments for certain diseases," Mr. Frist said. "Therefore, I believe the president's policy should be modified." His speech received the approval of Democrats as well as Republicans.
"I admire the majority leader for doing this," Senator Harry Reid, the minority leader and Democrat of Nevada, said immediately after the speech. He and Senator Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, said Mr. Frist's stance would give hope to people everywhere. Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, contending they were discussing "the difference between life and death," said of Mr. Frist, "I believe the speech that he has just made on the Senate floor is the most important speech made this year, and perhaps the most important speech made in years."
He added: "This is a speech that will reverberate around the world, including at the White House."

Of course, this probably means that Frist wants to run for president in 2008. He can't have been happy about all the humliating press he received after his disgraceful conduct in the Terry Schiavo matter, when he remotely (incorrectly, as it turned out) diagnosed Terry Schiavo's condition after watching a 20-minute videotape. Frist is a surgeon, so that means he's smart. And if he's been reading the poll numbers, he knows the American people aren't going to elect someone who is opposed to stem cell research. Either that, or Nancy Reagan promised to campaign for him if he'd do this. Never underestimate Nancy Reagan.