What Ben Carson revealed about the Republican assault on Planned Parenthood

This has nothing to do with fetal tissue research

Ben Carson
(Image credit: AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

In one of those fascinating moments that is only possible because of the internet, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson got caught in a controversy Thursday when a physician noted on her theretofore non-famous blog that Carson performed research on tissue from aborted fetuses in the 1990s. She even posted photos of the medical journal in which it was published. This is newsworthy because Carson, like all good Republicans, has expressed outrage at Planned Parenthood over videos taken by anti-abortion activists showing members of the organization discussing the transfer of just that kind of tissue.

So is Carson a hypocrite? Maybe, but what's important about this case is that this is a rare instance where what people in politics are doing and saying can't be understood without examining their motives.

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Paul Waldman

Paul Waldman is a senior writer with The American Prospect magazine and a blogger for The Washington Post. His writing has appeared in dozens of newspapers, magazines, and web sites, and he is the author or co-author of four books on media and politics.