Pants on Fire

Bill Frist is a Liar

Excerpts from his Senate floor speech March 17:

"A lot of people have severe disabilities, such as cerebral palsy and receptive aphasia, but [Terri Schiavo's] brother said that she responds to her parents and to him. That is not somebody in persistent vegetative state…."

"Persistent vegetative state, which is what the court has ruled, I say that I question it, and I question it based on a review of the video footage which I spent an hour or so looking at last night in my office here in the Capitol. And that footage, to me, depicted something very different than persistent vegetative state…."

"Once again, in the video footage — which you can actually see on the website today — she certainly seems to respond to visual stimuli that the neurologist puts forth."

Now - Frist this week on The Today Show:

Frist: "No, I never said she responded. I said in our review, the court videotapes … the same ones the other doctors reviewed, and I questioned, 'Is their diagnosis correct?' …. We had a presumptive diagnosis. I simply said, 'Before withdrawing food — killing her, in effect — let's make sure we have the right diagnosis.' I never, never on the floor of the Senate made a diagnosis, nor would I ever do that."