As a Senator, Republican Presidential candidate John McCain has a strong track record of supporting federal funding for embryonic stem cell research – and not just in the limited form approved by President Bush, but in strong legislation that Bush has vetoed.
However, as McCain courts conservative voters, he's backtracked, slipping from early campaign trail advocacy to "grappling" in February with the advice of Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), an ardent opponent of ESC research. At the time, McCain indicated that new stem cell advances would render ESCs obsolete – a position that's either pure political fence-sitting or scientifically ignorant.
The Hill brings the story up to date, and – if you're a research supporter – there's a few troubling notes: McCain didn't even send a communications flack to speak with the reporter, and his website doesn't even reference ESCs. So much for straight talk.
Stem cell backers doubt McCain’s support [The Hill]
Video: MSNBC covers McCain's meetings with conservative religious leaders "to learn more about their opposition to embryonic stem cell research."
See Also:
- X-Files: I Want to Believe ... in Stem Cells
- Bush Praises Skin to Stem Cell Breakthrough in State of the Union
- Don't Let John McCain Backtrack on Stem Cells
- Hacking the Hack of Stem Cell Reprogramming
- Skin Cell-to-Stem Cell Alchemy 'Like Turning Lead Into Gold'
- New Source of Embryonic Stem Cells: Will Bush Say OK?
- New Method for Controversy-Free Embryonic Stem Cells
- Embryonic Stem Cell Idiocy: Blame Clinton, not Bush, Says Bioethicist
- Too Soon to Give Up on Embryonic Stem Cells
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