Before I was so rudely interrupted...

...by the existence of an actual life I was getting caught up on new news that I'd missed during my southwest expedition. Turns out a bit of old news is getting a lot of attention, though.

Scanning Atrios, I was pointed No More Mr. Nice Blog where this Linda Douglass report is highlighted...

ABC News has obtained talking points circulated among Republican senators explaining why they should vote to intervene in the Schiavo case. Among them: "This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited..." and "This is a great political issue... this is a tough issue for Democrats."

I hope they believe that. I hope we've got enough sense to cash the political blank check they're handing us for all it's worth.

The fact is, there are any number of folks out there who vote for Republicans despite their misgivings about the influence of religious fundamentalism in the GOP. They're able to do that because, in fact, the GOP has moved on very little of the radical issues promoted by the fundies. It's a formula that's worked well for a couple of decades - mouth the designated platitudes in order to get Fallwell, Dobson, Robertson and lesser lights among the American mullahs to send their flocks to the ballot box, and then ignore the ideas that inspire the rhetoric in the process of governance.

The problem is that after a couple of decades of faithful service, the mullahs and their minions are getting impatient for some action on their issues. Terri Shavio is an unfortunate pawn in the process, but that's the role they've assigned her to. Repeated pressure to ignore and overrule the courts and her doctors are bad enough to satisfy most folks with the slightest progressive bent, but this offers an opportunity to drive a real wedge between rational conservatives (yes, they're out there) and the radical fundies. In fact, it could be the focal point for some internal dissension in the ranks of the fundies themselves if Democrats get a clue...and some courage.

After all, the focus of the right wing exploitation is a direct attack on the institution that they've declared so critical to the foundations of our civilization that it's deserving of its very own Constitutional amendment - the marriage of one man and one woman.

They're anti-choice, anti-science and, in this case, anti-marriage. They think court rulings and marriage vows are just silly putty, a toy to throw, stretch and break according to their whims, and we should beat them to death with it.