As everyone expected, George W. Bush yesterday took the path even more toward the Religious Right and away from science and enlightenment when he vetoed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which had just passed the Senate on Tuesday after passage in the House of Representatives in 2005.

The bill, H.R. 810, went immediately back to the House, where a vote of 235 to 193, fell 51 short of the two-thirds majority required to override Bush's rejection of the bill that would have expanded embryonic stem-cell research and given hope to millions of Americans suffering life-threatening and crippling illnesses.

"If this bill were to become law, American taxpayers for the first time in our history would be compelled to fund the deliberate destruction of human embryos," said Bush. "Crossing this line would be a grave mistake and would needlessly encourage a conflict between science and ethics that can only do damage to both and harm our nation as a whole."

I guess to this president, stem cell research is bad for our society, but it's just fine to have taxpayers fund the killing of tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens for no reason whatsoever.

Here's some reactions from Congressional Democrats:

Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)

“I am extremely disappointed in the president’s veto and will do everything I can to make sure this groundbreaking research proposal still becomes law. Only one of the bills we passed Tuesday delivers real promise for a cure to millions of Americans. Yet this is the bill the president vetoed. The federal government should not stand in the way of a cure for some of the most debilitating diseases faced by Americans today.”

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)

“President Bush may have vetoed the stem cell bill today, but he has not vetoed the hopes of millions of Americans. Those families who wake up every morning to face another day with a deadly disease or a disability will not forget this decision by the President to stand in the way of sound science and medical research.

“President Bush’s first veto makes him the first president in the history of the United States to restrict medical research and the efforts of science to reduce suffering from disease and disability. Many of us in Congress, along with the vast majority of American families, will continue to fight until the promise of stem cell research is fully realized.”

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)

“I will mince no words about the President’s action. This veto is a shameful display of cruelty and hypocrisy. It is cruel, because it denies hope to millions of Americans who suffer from Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, ALS, juvenile diabetes, cancer, spinal-cord injuries, and many other diseases and debilitating conditions. Most of all, though, it is simply sad.

“HR 810 would have expanded federal funding to pursue this research. But with a stroke of his pen today, the President vetoed this bill and vetoed the hopes of millions of suffering Americans.

“There is an election in November, and we need to know where every candidate stands on embryonic stem cell research. Because we intend to reintroduce this bill in the next Congress. And we intend to prevail.”

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

"Imagine: the first veto of this President is for a bill that has the miraculous power to cure. The Latin translation of veto means, 'I forbid.' President Bush has said today: 'I forbid allowing the best and brightest minds to pursue the science that they believe has the most promise and potential to cure. I forbid bringing embryonic stem cell research under NIH, ensuring the strict controls and stringent ethical guidelines that only NIH can impose. I forbid giving our scientists the opportunities they need to ensure our nation remains pre-eminent in science.'

Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA)

"Mr. President, we are here to say that as long as there is a need for the hope and help that stem cell research can bring, it will never be forgotten. As long as restrictions based on a narrow ideology block progress to new cures, this issue will never be closed.

"Mr. President, you can veto a bill, but you can't veto hope. We will be back again and again and again until we end the cruel restrictions on lifesaving research that are denying hope to millions of American patients and their families.”

Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)

"With his veto, President Bush chose politics over people.

"The Scopes trial took place in 1925. Sadly, President Bush’s veto today shows that we haven’t progressed much since then. The United States cannot enter the 21st Century believing the Earth is flat. We need to celebrate science in this nation – not reject it.

"With a stroke of a pen today, President Bush undermined common sense. The President proved he is captive to ideologues and extremists in his political party. What the President did today was not compassionate, nor even conservative. It was an extreme action and history will hold him accountable.”

Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO)

“I am extremely disappointed that President Bush has issued his first veto on H.R. 810. With his veto, the President has destroyed the hope of millions of Americans who are suffering from diseases like Parkinson’s and diabetes that could be cured by stem cell research.

“H.R. 810 would have corrected the President’s short-sighted policy by allowing this important research to move forward under ethical constraints. This research holds so much promise to solving diseases that affect more than 110 million Americans. Vetoing this bill is one of the greatest mistakes of his Presidency.

“This research has the support of more than 70% of Americans and the President will suffer the political consequences for vetoing H.R. 810. I promise to keep fighting to expand stem cell research. This important legislation will become law; it’s only a matter of when.”

You can reach Bob Geiger at geiger.bob@gmail.com