From Holden:
Damn, Lttle Scottie held an unprecedented Sunday gaggle that I missed until just now.
So, Scottie, what makes this case so special?
Q Scott, what is the President’s reaction to people who say that Congress and now, probably pretty soon, the President, they think this is very much over-reaching and going way beyond what their role should be in getting involved in the life of one single woman.
MR. McCLELLAN: This is a complex case where serious questions and significant doubts have been raised. And the President believes the presumption ought to be in favor of life. We ought to err on the side of life in a case like this. And so this legislation, my understanding, is narrowly tailored, it would give her parents another opportunity to save their daughter’s life through the federal courts.
[snip]
Q but, Scott, I guess the question is, what if there are 10, 20, you know, 100 other people or cases out there where they could say, well, if he’s going to get involved in Terri Schiavo’s case, you know, I have equally extraordinary or, sort of, complex circumstances; why not me? And where does he draw the line?
MR. McCLELLAN: I think most people recognize that this case involves some extraordinary circumstances.
Extraordinary enough to merit shredding the consitution?
Q Does the President have not a whole lot of confidence in the state court’s ability to litigate something like this? Why does he think it needs to go to the federal court?
MR. McCLELLAN: It’s what I said, what his view is, that our society and our laws and our courts, in a case like this, ought to err on the side of life. And this legislation will give her parents another opportunity to make sure that her rights have been protected.
Q But, Scott, the case has been to the Supreme Court twice and they’ve chosen not to touch it, believing that, indeed, she’s had due process. So does the President believe that the courts have not acted properly to date?
MR. McCLELLAN: The President believes that this is a case where serious questions and significant doubts have been raised. And that’s why he believes we ought to have a presumption in favor of life. That’s the President’s view. Congress has been acting to give her parents another opportunity, and we support the efforts by Congress to give her parents another opportunity to make sure that her rights are protected and to possibly save their daughter’s life.
That’s the way the President views it. You know, you can keep asking the same question, but that’s the way the President views is.
So, politics has nothing to do with it?
Q But can you definitively say to us, Scott, that this is not about politics, this is about defending her —
MR. McCLELLAN: I got asked that last night and I said, yes.
OK, if Scottie had any ability to speak truthfully that would have been his answer. Here it is in its entirety.
MR. McCLELLAN: I got asked that last night and I said, yes, it’s not. It’s about what I just described and what I described in our conversation in the gaggle earlier.
And the hypocrisy – let’s not forget the hypocrisy.
Q Can you talk to me — again, this comes up. Can you explain the difference between this case and the President’s support of the death penalty? I mean, I know this comes up in other culture of life issues, but can you explain the difference here?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I can tell you why the President supports the death penalty, he’s made that clear before. That the President believes it’s a deterrent that helps save lives, and that’s why he supports the death penalty.
Q But isn’t that inconsistent with what he’s doing today?
MR. McCLELLAN: The reason he supports the death penalty is because it helps — he believes that it helps save lives, and he’s stated that view clearly and consistently over a number of years.
The George Bush Culture of Life: violate every concept of ethics and law to force life on a person who has expressed a wish to die, fail to uphold your responsibility to ensure that those who wish to live are granted every legal opportunity to prove their case.