Frist Makes 2008 A Little More Difficult

Sen. Majority Leader Bill Frist has decided to part with President Bush on the issue of stem cell research:

Breaking with President Bush, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Friday he now supports legislation to remove some of the administration's limitations on embryonic stem cell research.

Frist, an abortion opponent who just last month said he did not support expanding federal financing of research on embryos, said his decision was consistent with both his experience as a physician and his anti-abortion stance.

"Now is the time to expand the president's policy because it's promising research, but it must be done in a way that is ethically considerate, that respects the dignity of human life," said Frist, who also is a heart and lung transplant surgeon.

The Tennessee Republican, who has been said to be eyeing a run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008, said only stem cells from embryos that "would otherwise be discarded," not implanted in a woman or frozen indefinitely, should be considered for research.

Frist is pro-life, but there are many on the right who see this form of stem cell research as a violation of a true pro-life stand. It could make Frist's efforts to secure the 2008 nomination a little tougher.