“Shift in emphasis”

Oh, the terminology of spin. That phrase came up in an Anderson Cooper 360 report on CNN last night about the presidential campaign and the tendency of some candidates to speak of their reversals on abortion in choice language (no pun intended).

And speaking of word choice, CNN’s John King did a report on that show about Rudy Giuliani’s long-standing positions on life, with painstaking repetition of the term “late term abortion” for what is actually partial-birth abortion. I mean, the child is halfway delivered and only his/her head is still in the birth canal when the doctor does the gruesome stab into the base of its skull and all the rest…..the awful details that Justice Anthony Kennedy recounted in his opinion in the Supreme Court’s partial birth abortion ban.

Interesting that at the end of that CNN report, John King is interviewing a woman who I hear expressing concern over the “flip-flopping” of a candidate, worried about how committed he is to his current position. I looked at the screen, and it was a NARAL spokeswoman who was concerned about Giuliani’s real pro-abortion credentials! Now there’s a switch. 

Until now, I’ve only heard the opposite. Everyone – voters, interest groups, media analysts - everyone has been discussing the “flip-flopping” of pro-life candidates and wondering how committed they really are to protecting the sanctity of life. 

Words. It’s a jungle out there. Be careful.