Appeasing the Base

After five and a half years in office, President Bush vetoed his first bill. It seems that no amount of pork-barrel spending, a significant portion of the ballooning deficit, was enough to earn his veto. But the bill to use federal dollars for stem-cell research was too much for Bush to tolerate — despite pleas from Nancy Reagan and Republican Senate Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist, and almost the entire scientific community. The bill was passed with bi-partisan support — but tragically, not quite enough to override Bush’s veto.

When Press Secretary Tony Snow was asked why Bush vetoed the bill,...