Pierce goes Overboard

Let me get this out of the way first. I think that President Bush's stance on embryonic stem-cell research is absolutely deplorable. That he used his first veto in six years to torpedo funding for measures that nearly everyone within the scientific community, 70 percent of the American public, and many Republicans agree are absolutely necessary is indicative of, among other things, the pernicious influence exercised by the radical Christian right over White House social policy. That said, I think that Charles Pierce's emotional and generally spot-on critique of the President's stance of this issue is undermined by this line:

Is there any doubt that, if this guy (President Bush) got Parkinson's Disease, he'd eat those little buggers out of the petri dish with a spoon, probably dribbling some of them on Tony Blair in the process?

Personal attacks like this contribute nothing to the debate and will likely give critics on the right ample ammo to continue their campaign to paint Democrats as a bunch of baby-killing/uncompromising extremists.