The key political fact about the Schiavo case so far is that it’s being reported as “morality v. pragmatism.” The notion that it might be immoral to tell lies about Terri Schiavo’s condition and prognosis, or to keep the body alive when the self is gone, or to substitute what the Congress wants to happen to Terri Schiavo for what Terri Schiavo would have wanted to happen to Terri Schiavo, or to make a public circus out of a private tragedy, or to make up and spread horrible rumors about Michael Schiavo’s actions and nasty insinuations about his motives, or to call Judge Greer a “murderer” and a “terrorist”, seem to be too complicated for the typical reporter to understand.
As long as the right wing is seen as standing up for moral values, they’re going to continue to win elections.