Terri Schiavo

So we've got a war in Iraq. We've got unprecedented federal deficits. Health care costs are sky rocketing and of course, social security is in "crisis". The problems of our government are many and the resources to solve them are few. So what is our brilliant House of Representatives having a special session this weekend to solve? What is Dubya flying back from Texas early to do?
They are stepping in to force Florida doctors to restore Terri Schiavo 's feeding tube. Says Sen. Majority leader Bill Frist in the Washington Post:

Congress 'has been working nonstop over the last three days to do its part to uphold human dignity and affirm a culture of life.'
Frist said he is committed "to see this legislation pass and give Terri Schiavo one last chance at life.'

Schiavo has been in a vegetative state for 15 years. Her parents want to keep her alive; her husband wants to remove the feeding tube. This conflict has led to a very heated and complex legal battle that the Republican leadership in congress (at least mostly Republican) has felt compelled to get involved. My point is not to comment on whether Schiavo should be kept alive or not, but rather to examine the motives of our noble leaders.
Are these the same Republicans that advocate for power to the States? Are these same people that argue that the Federal government "Should stay out of my medicine cabinet"? I wonder how much federal intervention we would have had if this had been an AIDS patient who couldn't afford drugs that could keep him or her alive for 10 more years.
So, why are they getting involved? The article continues:

Republicans acknowledged that the intervention was a departure from their usual support for states' rights. But they said their views about the sanctity life [sic] trumped their views about federalism.

An unsigned one-page memo, distributed to Republican senators, said the debate over Schiavo would appeal to the party's base, or core, supporters. The memo singled out Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), who is up for reelection next year and is potentially vulnerable in a state President Bush won last year.

"This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue," said the memo, which was reported by ABC News and later given to The Washington Post. "This is a great political issue, because Senator Nelson of Florida has already refused to become a cosponsor and this is a tough issue for Democrats."


Oh right. That whole election thing. My fault. Carry on.