Well for a moment this Sunday it looked like Tim Russert was really feeling his triple grande latte enema on
Meat The Press this morning:
RUSSERT: "Governor Michael Rounds, the Republican Governor of South Dakota, signed into law the nation's most sweeping state abortion ban. ... The law makes it a felony to perform any abortion except in a case of a pregnant woman's life being in jeopardy." No exceptions for rape, incest, health of the mother. Would you like to see that law, the law of the United States of America?
Could it be? A meaningful discussion on what the GOP goals are w/r/t abortion? Alas, it was not to be, instead Sen. Allen took the opportunity to lie to pumpkinhead's face while Timmeh sat there like a grinning idiot. Let's take a look . . .
After bobbing and weaving in a way that would make Muhammad Ali proud Sen. Allen got right to the heart of his problems with Roe:
MR. RUSSERT: It would means that Roe vs. Wade would have to be overturned, which you would support?
SEN. ALLEN: I think Roe vs. Wade has been interpreted in such a way that it precludes the rights of the people to decide their laws. When I was governor, we passed the law on parental notification. I think parents ought to be involved if a girl who's 16, 17 years old...
MR. RUSSERT: So you say overturn Roe. You hope Roe is overturned.
SEN. ALLEN: Well, Roe--if you need parental notification for ear piercing or a tattoo, they certainly ought to be involved with it. And so I think Roe vs. Wade has been interpreted in such a way as to restrict the will of people. Moreover, that decision was from the early 1970s and medical science has advanced a great deal. We know a lot more and of course, unborn children have an earlier stage of development.
MR. RUSSERT: So overturn?
Tim? You, sir, are an idiot. How can a so-called reporter be so ignorant of one of the most important policy debates of our day? I'm going to put this in all caps for Foolish Tim. PARENTAL NOTIFICATION LAWS DO NOT CONFLICT WITH ROE.
Jebus Christ, it was only part of the holding the most significant Supreme Court decision on abortion since Roe. In Planned Parenthood v. Casey O'Connor wrote: "We reaffirm today that a State may require a minor seeking an abortion to obtain the consent of a parent or guardian, provided there is an adequate judicial bypass"
An informed interviewer, knowing that he was going to be asking about the abortion debate, might have researched the current state of law so that he might have and informative and enlightening exchange. But I guess Pumpkinhead was too busy digging up 'gotcha' quotes that date back to the Carter Administration.
But of couse, in Tim's world the abortion debate is not important. What is important is that he spends at least 15 minutes of every show talking about 2008. I could train a myna bird to do Timmy's job. Teach it a list of questions each week and just have it ask those questions one after the other. It would be just as (un)informative as Meat The Press but at least we would have the enjoyment of watching a Senator get interviewed by a bird.