TRYING TO STEELE YOUR VOTE.

TRYING TO STEELE YOUR VOTE. They just love to distort. Michael Steele's got a new ad featuring his sister defending his position on stem cell research. "There�s something you should know about Michael Steele," she says. "He does support stem cell research, and he cares deeply for those who suffer from disease. How do I know? I�m Michael Steele�s little sister. I have MS, and I know he cares about me." Anyone remember this?

Even as [Steele] berated the president, the candidate allowed that he opposes a pullout from Iraq, agrees with Bush's veto of human embryonic stem cell research, and supports constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage and flag burning.

Obviously, the devil is in the details. Steele supports adult stem cell research. He doesn't support embryonic stem cell research. He's trying to confuse voters on the issue, and using his sister's condition to imply that he'd never oppose treatments that could help someone so close to him. But he does. In case you were wondering, the National MS Society supports "using all human cell types that might further the development of treatments and a cure for MS. Thus the Society -- along with the American Medical Association, other voluntary health organizations, and many scientific societies -- opposes regulations that would limit the full exploration of this important area." Thus, they oppose Michael Steele.

--Ezra Klein