Bush Vetoes Stem Cell Bill: So What?

While I do not share Bush's sentimental attachment to frozen embryos, I am not the least bit perturbed by his refusal to go along with federal funding of ESC research. While little will come out of ESC research for decades at least (think back to all the other supposed medical miracles since the polio vaccine and tell me I'm wrong), we should expect some fair amount of fraud, spending irregularities, and constant false hope should the federal troughs be thrown open to this research.

Over at Gene Expression, Rikurzhen defends ESC research - not as a miracle cure, but as a foundation for better understanding of diseases that can lead to better treatments and perhaps even cures (at least I think that's his argument). Certainly sounds reasonable, but a far cry from the spectacular advances that people think they'll be getting for their tax dollar. According to the Washington Post:

Democrats said voters will penalize GOP candidates for the demise of a popular measure, and predicted the issue could trigger the defeat of Bush allies such as Sen. James M. Talent, who faces a tough reelection battle in Missouri.

The idea that a Senator could lose an election because of a vote against funding a medical research program that has so far been marked by fraud and not even the remotest hint of success is rather disheartening.