GOP Moves to Stamp Out Embryonic Research; McCain (Hopefully) Disagrees

As any lawyer knows, the difference between "and" and "or" can mean winning a seven-figure award versus having your a case tossed out of court. Or, in this case, millions of dollars for stem cell research versus none at all. It all started last week, when the Republican Platform Committee approved an amendment to the party platform regarding embryonic stem cell research. The change boiled down to that one crucial word—from "and" to "or"—in the platform's call for the ban of (emphasis added): "the creation of or experimentation on human embryos for research purposes." Which means, essentially, is that if the party has its way, virtually all human embryo research, from freezing embryos at fertilization clinics to the privately-financed creation of new stem-cell lines, will be shut down. Granted, McCain is not obligated to follow the party platform—and (thank God) he's shown a willingness to flip his party the proverbial ...