Culture of Life

Here's White House Press Secretary Scott McCellan doing his damnest to conflate the legacy of Pope John Paul II and President George W. Bush.

...[T]he Holy Father is someone who stood for freedom, for human dignity and promoting a culture of life. And there are many values that the President shared with the Holy Father, and he had great respect for his moral leadership in this world.

Later on in that same press conference, McCellan had this exchange with a reporter:

Q: Scott, you mentioned the culture of life. When Pope John Paul II wrote about the culture of life in 1995, he described it also in terms of the death penalty, not just abortion and euthanasia. He said that in these modern times, cases where the death penalty was warranted are rare, if not nonexistent. Now, knowing that the President fully supports the death penalty, used the death penalty, does he see it as a contradiction to use that phrase, "culture of life," and still support the death penalty, which the Pope expressed his opposition to?

MR. McCLELLAN: Elaine, I think the President's views are well known. I don't think now is the time to talk about where they may have differed on one or two areas. This is a time to honor a great moral leader, someone who, as the President said, was a hero for the ages.

Reporters, remember, you're not supposed to say the emperor's buck naked.

Here's what a "culture of life" meant to former Governor of Texas, George W. Bush. Starting with the most recent, here are the names of the 152 people executed under George W. Bush.

152 Claude Jones 12/07/2000
151 Daniel Hittle 12/06/2000
150 Garry Miller 12/05/2000
149 Tony Chambers 11/15/2000
148 Stacey Lawton 11/14/2000
147 Miguel Flores 11/09/2000
146 Jeffery Dillingham 11/01/2000
145 Ricky McGinn 09/27/2000
144 Jeffery Caldwell 08/30/2000
143 David Gibbs 08/23/2000
142 Richard Jones 08/22/2000
141 John Satterwhite 08/16/2000
140 Oliver Cruz 08/09/2000
139 Brian Roberson 08/09/2000
138 Juan Soria 07/26/2000
137 Orien Joiner 07/12/2000
136 Jessy San Miguel 06/29/2000
135 Gary Graham 06/22/2000
134 Paul Nuncio 06/15/2000
133 John Burks 06/14/2000
132 Thomas Mason 06/12/2000
131 Robert Carter 05/31/2000
130 James Clayton 05/25/2000
129 Richard Foster 05/24/2000
128 James Richardson 05/23/2000
127 Michael McBride 05/11/2000
126 William Kitchens 05/09/2000
125 Tommy Jackson 05/04/2000
124 Timothy Gribble 03/15/2000
123 Ponchai Wilkerson 03/14/2000
122 Odell Barnes, Jr. 03/01/2000
121 Betty Beets 02/24/2000
120 Cornelius Gross 02/23/2000
119 James Moreland 01/27/2000
118 Glen McGinnis 01/25/2000
117 Billy Hughes, Jr. 01/24/2000
116 Larry Robison 01/21/2000
115 David Hicks 01/20/2000
114 Spencer Goodman 01/18/2000
113 Earl Heiselbetz, Jr. 01/12/2000
112 Sammie Felder, Jr. 12/15/1999
111 Robert Atworth 12/14/1999
110 James Beathard 12/09/1999
109 David Long 12/08/1999
108 Jose Gutierrez 11/18/1999
107 John Lamb 11/17/1999
106 Desmond Jennings 11/16/1999
105 Domingo Cantu, Jr. 10/28/1999
104 Jerry McFadden 10/14/1999
103 Alvin Crane 10/12/1999
102 Richard Smith 09/21/1999
101 William Davis 09/14/1999
100 Willis Barnes 09/10/1999
99 Raymond Jones 09/01/1999
98 Joe Trevino, Jr. 08/18/1999
97 James Earheart 08/11/1999
96 Kenneth Dunn 08/10/1999
95 Charles Boyd 08/05/1999
94 Ricky Blackmon 08/04/1999
93 Tyrone Fuller 07/07/1999
92 Charles Tuttle 07/01/1999
91 Joseph Faulder 06/17/1999
90 William Little 06/01/1999
89 Clydell Coleman 05/05/1999
88 Jose De La Cruz 05/04/1999
87 Aaron Foust 04/28/1999
86 Excell White 03/30/1999
85 Charles Rector 03/26/1999
84 Norman Green 02/24/1999
83 Andrew Cantu 02/16/1999
82 Danny Barber 02/11/1999
81 George Cordova 02/10/1999
80 Martin Vega 01/26/1999
79 Troy Farries 01/13/1999
78 John Moody 01/05/1999
77 James Meanes 12/15/1998
76 Jeff Emery 12/08/1998
75 Daniel Corwin 12/07/1998
74 Kenneth McDuff 11/17/1998
73 Jonathan Nobles 10/07/1998
72 Javier Cruz 10/01/1998
71 David Castillo 08/23/1998
70 Delbert Teague, Jr. 09/09/1998
69 Genaro Camacho, Jr. 08/26/1998
68 Leopoldo Narvaiz 06/26/1998
67 Johnny Pyles 06/15/1998
66 Clifford Boggess 06/11/1998
65 Pedro Muniz 05/19/1998
64 Robert Carter 05/18/1998
63 Frank McFarland 04/29/1998
62 Lesley Gosch 04/24/1998
61 Joseph Cannon 04/22/1998
60 Jerry Hogue 03/11/1998
59 Steven Renfro 02/09/1998
58 Karla Tucker 02/03/1998
57 Michael Lockhart 12/09/1997
56 Charlie Livingston 11/21/1997
55 Michael Sharp 11/19/1997
54 Aaron Fuller 11/06/1997
53 Aua Lauti 11/04/1997
52 Kenneth Ransom 10/28/1997
51 Ricky Green 10/08/1997
50 Dwight Adanandus 10/01/1997
49 John Cockrum 09/30/1997
48 Benjamin Stone 09/25/1997
47 Jessel Turner 09/22/1997
46 James Davis 09/09/1997
45 Robert West, Jr. 07/29/1997
44 Irineo Montoya 06/18/1997
43 Eddie Johnson 06/17/1997
42 David Stoker 06/16/1997
41 Earl Behringer 06/11/1997
40 Davis Losada 06/04/1997
39 Dorsie Johnson, Jr. 06/04/1997
38 Kenneth Harris 06/03/1997
37 Patrick Rogers 06/02/1997
36 Robert Madden 05/28/1997
35 Larry White 05/22/1997
34 Bruce Callins 05/21/1997
33 Clarence Lackey 05/20/1997
32 Richard Drinkard 05/19/1997
31 Clifton Belyeu 05/16/1997
30 Anthony Westley 05/13/1997
29 Terry Washington 05/06/1997
28 Ernest Baldree 04/29/1997
27 Benjamin Boyle 04/21/1997
26 Kenneth Gentry 04/16/1997
25 Billy Woods 04/14/1997
24 David Spence 04/03/1997
23 David Herman 04/02/1997
22 John Barefield 03/12/1997
21 Richard Brimage, Jr. 02/10/1997
20 Joe Gonzales, Jr. 09/18/1996
19 Kenneth Granviel 02/27/1996
18 Leo Jenkins 02/09/1996
17 James Briddle 12/12/1995
16 Esequel Banda 12/11/1995
15 Hai Vuong 12/07/1995
14 Bernard Amos 12/06/1995
13 Harold Lane 10/04/1995
12 Carl Johnson 09/19/1995
11 Vernon Sattiewhite 08/15/1995
10 Karl Hammond 06/21/1995
9 John Fearance 06/20/1995
8 Ronald Allridge 06/08/1995
7 Fletcher Mann 06/01/1995
6 Noble Mays 04/06/1995
5 Samuel Hawkins 02/21/1995
4 Billy Gardner 02/16/1995
3 Jeffery Motley 02/07/1995
2 Willie Williams 01/31/1995
1 Clifton Russell, Jr. 01/31/1995

Also of note, Pope John Paul II was strictly opposed to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, calling it, "a defeat for humanity."