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On a political hot potato scale of one to 10, embryonic stem cell registers about a 13. Inextricably linked not only to the abortion debate, but also to patients' rights advocacy and the esoteric world of research science, the issue never fails to spark passionate, even hysterical, debate. And Wednesday, the Clinton administration dove right into the fray, releasing a set of long-awaited parameters guiding the use of specific embryonic cells, called stem cells, for federally funded …

…grant applications submitted after January 2001. George W. Bush, according to campaign spokespeople, "opposes federal funding for stem cell research that involves destroying a living human embryo." So the battle lines are already emerging. Of course, the very idea that legislation with such explosive implications could surf under congressional radar is utterly ridiculous. Violent opposition has already sprung up in the House, and Senate detractors are likely to add their voices to the debate as well.