In addition to steroid use in MLB, the Republican-controlled Congress apparently believes the Schiavo tragedy is another issue requiring their immediate attention.

Oliver Willis correctly writes:

The Republican Party Has Lost It's Damn Mind
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The case of Terry Schiavo is very sad, tragic even. But the energy now being devoted to undermine multiple rulings of a state court as well as the refusal of the United States Supreme Court is an act of legislative insanity.

The Republican party has now made clear that in order to satiate those opposed to abortion and the religious far right, it feels no shame about propping up the broken body of Terry Schiavo in order to score electoral points. Our country is at war on multiple fronts, while our soldiers still do not have the equipment they need to keep them safe or a reasonable strategy to bring them home. Americans are without health care, our educational system needs funding - and this is the issue that keeps the Republicans burning the midnight oil? An essentially unconstitutional attempt to deligitamize the powers of the state courts and their related governments?

This is corruption - at the highest levels.

No wonder the ethics of people like Tom Delay are so bankrupt. If Republicans cared so much for the "sanctity of life", they would devote 1/10th the attention they've given to the Schiavo case to the truly important issues of our time that would save the lives of thousands -- or millions -- of Americans.

Bravo. And he presents this long-overdue piece of evidence of how the GOP truly operates in this day and age:

ABC News has obtained talking points circulated among Republican senators explaining why they should vote to intervene in the Schiavo case. Among them: "This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited..." and "This is a great political issue... this is a tough issue for Democrats."

Just sickening -- but highly believable.

Meanwhile, Digby makes some excellent points:

By now most people who read liberal blogs are aware that George W. Bush signed a law in Texas that expressly gave hospitals the right to remove life support if the patient could not pay and there was no hope of revival, regardless of the patient's family's wishes. It is called the Texas Futile Care Law. Under this law, a baby was removed from life support against his mother's wishes in Texas just this week. A 68 year old man was given a temporary reprieve by the Texas courts just yesterday.

Those of us who read liberal blogs are also aware that Republicans have voted en masse to pull the plug (no pun intended) on medicaid funding that pays for the kind of care that someone like Terry Schiavo and many others who are not so severely brain damaged need all across this country.

Those of us who read liberal blogs also understand that that the tort reform that is being contemplated by the Republican congress would preclude malpractice claims like that which has paid for Terry Schiavo's care thus far.

Those of us who read liberal blogs are aware that the bankruptcy bill will make it even more difficult for families who suffer a catastrophic illness like Terry Schiavo's because they will not be able to declare chapter 7 bankruptcy and get a fresh start when the gargantuan medical bills become overwhelming.

And those of us who read liberal blogs also know that this grandstanding by the congress is a purely political move designed to appease the religious right and that the legal maneuverings being employed would be anathema to any true small government conservative.

Those who don't read liberal blogs, on the other hand, are seeing a spectacle on television in which the news anchors repeatedly say that the congress is "stepping in to save Terry Schiavo" mimicking the unctuous words of Tom Delay as they grovel and leer at the family and nod sympathetically at the sanctimonious phonies who are using this issue for their political gain.

The fact that DeLay has entered the scene and uttered his typical sanctimonious, judgmental comments clearly with political motive and intent, all the while battling umpteen ethical transgressions, is a display of breathtaking -- and nauseating -- chutzpa. But then, I'd expect nothing less from this crew.