The Schiavo-Talking Points-Martinez Memo

I've stayed silent on this story because a) it seemed like a lot of heat for very little light (especially while Terri lay dying), and b) others were investigating and covering it - from both sides - more thoroughly than I could ever have the patience for. This morning, patience has been rewarded, as the memo's author steps from the shadows. And he is: freshman Senator Mel Martinez (R). Yes, 'R'. Let it not be said that this blog doesn't share embarrassing news when it emerges. As usual, the ultra-diligent, early-rising Michelle Malkin has this comprehensive post on how bloggers, the MSM, and some particularly rude commenters handled the story from its inception. Malkin:

Giddy e-mailers are demanding that conservative bloggers, including myself, "retract" and "correct" "right-wing lies" about the Schiavo memo... many on the Right jumped to conclusions that the memo was "fake" or a "dirty trick." I concur that those who made such claims should issue clear retractions and corrections. And I urge those bloggers and pundits to do so. But contrary to what the left-wing gloaters who have not bothered to follow the story until last night are writing, I have never made such claims... The search for answers can be messy. Bloggers were at both their best and worst in this episode. But it was the MSM that failed to play it straight in the first place.

UPDATE I: I've always been puzzled about why this was such a big deal. The political points to be won or lost were fairly obvious early-on (e.g., as outlined in this editorial by Peggy Noonan on March 18th). Yes, that sounds crass, but I take as a given that everything is political. What separates the crassly political from the merely political is the heartfelt original motivations of individuals - depths we will never plumb completely on this earth. What irks many of us on the right is an assumption that our motives in focusing on Terri are purely political. At the margins, they may be. In the main, they are not. My left-leaning colleagues will have to trust me on this.

March 18th was the day that Terri's feeding tube was pulled. It was also the first day that the 'talking points', (aka, Martinez) memo was reported. And, if it's possible to remember or even imagine now - before it was widely clear that Republicans would get involved in any significant way. Did Noonan and Martinez collaborate in some Great Right Wing Conspiracy? It's possible, but ultimately irrelevant. People talk to each other. People read things. And as far as I know, no crime was committed here other than the moral crime at the center of it - Terri's killing - and the 'crime' of political opportunism - an issue of decorum (always a moving target), with plenty of blame to spread around depending on one's perspective. (See: Jackson, Jesse)

Again, the points were obvious - out there in the ether, waiting for a rallying cry. As the blogosphere has amply demonstrated these past few years, such rallying cries can sometimes simply emerge: multiple actors play their parts in developing an idea and taking the lead at various times. Does it matter who pointed them out? Not really. The anonymity and the subsequent lies are problematic but don't bear on the content of the memo. Certainly it would be more damning if the memo were traced to Congressional leadership. But it hasn't been. They've got enough troubles already. A junior Senator miscalculated. We'll see what price he pays (or what benefit he reaps). Either way, Terri is still dead and we're all implicated.

UPDATE II: Michelle Malkin has more on the possible GOP cover-up angle. Again, let it not be said that blogs are a partisan swamp. Ribbit! :)