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THE SEBELIUS SCANDAL?
An assortment of anti-abortion groups on the right have spent the last few weeks circulating suggestions that a Sebelius nomination would spark an embarrassing battle over abortion. The issue here is not any specific legislation Sebelius passed or vetoed: She opposed attempts to ban late-term abortions arguing that the bills offered were unconstitutional (she was probably right about that), but everyone knows that won't be sufficient to derail her nomination.
The hope was that George Tiller would be.
George Tiller is, in the words of the Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody, a "late-term abortionist." Closing his clinic has been a main goal of of the Operation Rescue folks. In 1993, in fact, Tiller was shot twice by an anti-abortion activist who'd decided picketing was inefficient.
So what does this have to do with Sebelius? She's met him.
Worse than that: She's had him over for dinner. As the Concerned Women for America wrote, Sebelius "held a private party in the governor's mansion for notorious abortionist George Tiller." That, of course, is the sort of detail that can matter amidst nomination fights. Maybe Sebelius could be blocked.
But this fell apart rather quickly: Tiller and his staff won the evening in a fundraising auction. Nothing personal, but their invitation was, well, nothing personal. Barack Obama knew WIlliam Ayers a whole lot better than Kathleen Sebelius knew George Tiller. Beyond that, abortions fell during Sebelius's tenure as governor of Kansas and her state's two Republican senators -- which include the staunchly pro-life Sam Brownback -- have both endorsed her for the position.
At this point, the Tiller connection looks like a non-issue for her confirmation hearing. But keep an eye on it. Health reform will include provisions related to abortion -- the most controversial of which will be what is and is not covered in the basic insurance package -- and there's already talk that the right will use Sebelius's presence as a way to activate the pro-life community against the bill.
COMMENTS (8)
The fundicrat crowd as pissing in the wind. Trying to tar Sibelius with some abortion nonsense will blowback just like the atheism crap did on Dole in the 2008 campaign.
Grow up, GOP!
Posted by: CParis | March 2, 2009 10:50 AM
Maybe they'll complain that she didn't shoot him when she had the chance? That would make for an interesting confirmation hearing.
Posted by: anon | March 2, 2009 11:40 AM
Aha! Tiller BOUGHT his access to Sebelius!
Bribery, corruption, etc!
Posted by: gwangung | March 2, 2009 11:45 AM
I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that this won't matter at all, and certainly won't come close to derailing her confirmation.
Posted by: Aaron S. Veenstra | March 2, 2009 1:45 PM
You'd think that conservatives would jump at any chance to get rid of a popular Democrat from an otherwise conservative state.
Posted by: X | March 2, 2009 1:46 PM
Pro-lifers, if not completely stifled by Congress and the baby-hating media, have the capacity to raise enough stink about Bilious Sebelius’ abortion mill scandals and conflicts of interest to make Daschle’s overdue tax problem seem like overlooked pocket change.
Then listeners will wonder why they haven’t heard the protesting voices of Senators Brownback and Roberts loud and clear.
What a dilemma! A chance to get Sebelius out of Kansas forever, yet loathing to foist her rabid, corrupt promotion of unrestricted taxpayer-funded abortion on an entire nation! Every criminal abortionist quack in America knows he can buy off Sebelius to sanction and shield criminal abortion rackets for just a few bloodstained dollars in kickbacks.
Posted by: parkay | March 2, 2009 2:10 PM
Kansas doctor George Tiller killed today!
WICHITA, Kansas - Media reports say that abortion provider Dr. George Tiller has been shot and killed at his Wichita church. Tiller has been among the few U.S. physicians performing late-term abortion. His clinic has repeatedly been the site of protests for about two decades. He was acquitted in March of misdemeanor charges stemming from procedures he performed, but moments after the verdict the state’s medical board announced it was investigating allegations against him that are nearly identical to those the jury had rejected.
The video from the scene:Dr. George Tiller-video
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