So I'm sitting here drinking my Diet Coke and editing a story for tomorrow when who should pop up on my IM screen but Broadsheet's own Lynn Harris: "someone has to blog that AIRQUOTE health AIRQUOTE of the mother mccain crap. it's nothing we didn't already know, but there it is in living, skeevy color. my god, what poor judgment, even if he doesn't CARE about women's health, which, whatever, YOU DON'T SAY THAT. watch his little "women" stripe PLUNGE when he does that. man oh man."

I wrote back: "hi lynn."

She continued: "a majority of americans, i believe, support 'abortion with some restrictions' (not realizing that of course that IS what is on the books already) including 'health of the mother' -- so there he just lost the middle grounders, too."

I wrote back: "would you like to blog about this?"

Lynn: "people might freak out that obama said he does support limits on late-term abortion. well, yeah. NO STATE ALLOWS IT AFTER 'viability' -- people don't know that. it's just that no one puts a number on it. in practice, the cut-off is VERY early."

I wrote back: "do you have a video link?"

Lynn: "yes!"

So then I watch the clip again, and I say: "disgusting"

And Lynn says: "CAN'T GET OVER IT. CLEARLY he has given this no thought, not even from a PR angle. 'the woman's health' is EXACTLY what people on the fence about abortion ARE concerned about."

And then I say: "so can i quote you? what you said above?"

And Lynn says: "yah, but the post should't be 'news flash, he doesn't care about women's health.' it's news flash, he doesn't know he's supposed to PRETEND TO."

And then I say: "haha. ok. done."

And Lynn says: "ok, running out the door. i feel better now. thanks."

Hmm. Me too.

For more on the debate, read Joan Walsh's blog post. It's excellent. And while my name is the byline on this post, you and I and Lynn Harris know better, now, don't we?