Any guesses where CNN stands on embryonic stem-cell research?

Opening paragraphs of an August 7 CNN article:

Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry Saturday carried his "help is on the way" theme to those affected in some way by diseases and conditions that could be improved by stem cell research, pledging to lift a partial ban President Bush put on the research three years ago.

Bush issued an executive order on August 7, 2001, limiting federal funding to projects using existing lines of fetal stem cells, a position supported by his party's fundamentalist Christian and conservative faction.

So, what have we learned up to this point?

1. Kerry offers hope to those whose medical condition could be improved by embryonic stem cell research [ESCR].
   
2. In paragraph one (bold type in the original), we see that President Bush imposed a "partial ban" on this research.
   
3. In paragraph two, we see that it wasn't actually a ban on the research; it was a ban on federal funding of the research (which is the actual case).
   
4. Bush imposed this ban to please certain unsavory factions of his party.
   
5. Kerry opposes this ban to please..... oh, wait. There's no mention of Kerry's desire to please certain constituencies on the left, so his motives must be pure.
   

There is plenty more red meat in the article. In what was almost certainly meant to be the sound-bite line of his speech, Kerry declared, "Here in America we don't sacrifice science for ideology."

Remember, this is a CNN article, so we know he couldn't possibly be referring to the way the pro-aborts sacrifice the overwhelming biological evidence of human life in the womb in favor of the ideology of "choice".

Kerry goes on to make an absurd comparison:

"We know that progress has always brought with it the worry that this time, we have gone too far," Kerry said. "Believe it or not, there was a time when some questioned the morality of heart transplants. Not too long ago, we heard the same kind of arguments against the biotechnology research that now saves stroke victims and those with leukemia."

The donor is not alive at the time of the transplant, Senator. To my knowledge, neither is the donor hurried on his way (at least in America). Similarly, none of the biotech research "that now saves stroke victims and those with leukemia" required the premeditated death of a single soul in order to advance the research.

I dare the Senator to publicly use this argument in favor of animal experimentation.

The very fact that Mr. Kerry would never do so should be sufficient to give the lie to item #5 above.

To nobody's surprise, the article's author does a cut-and-paste reminder that Nancy Reagan and Ron Reagan both support ESCR. Yawn.

So, we see here a prime specimen of the usual left/media template for reporting on the great issues of our day:

1. The Democrat is a selfless humanitarian
   
2. The Republican is a lackey for those in the farthest reaches of his party

Sigh.