Look out.

The term "lame duck" is a misnomer. And misleading.

You might think that considering their abysmal approval ratings, George Bush and one of the most incompetent, dangerous administrations in American history are safely neutered. Wrong.

The latest: the Department of Health and Human Services has drafted a proposal that threatens federal funding of organizations and health facilities if they refuse to hire people who object to abortion and certain methods of birth control. The proposal, critics say, includes an overly broad definition of abortion, defining it as "any of the various procedures - including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action - that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation."

Philosophers, scientists, and religious thinkers have always struggled with the question of when life begins - at conception or at birth. Thank goodness we now have the Bushies to tell us that, in fact, it begins sometime after the man zips up his pants yet before he makes it out the door.

Never mind that birth control pills do more than prevent conception; they're also used to reduce menstrual pain and cramping and to improve heavy and irregular menstrual bleeding, to cite two examples.

Bush's abstinence-only push is a failure by design. Lack of comprehensive sex education and precluded access to birth control and emergency contraception lead to only one place: more unintended pregnancies. In fact, birth rates among girls ages 15 to 19 inched upward in 2006 after a long decline. But since when do the Bushies let science trump ideology? Censor or suppress the reports. Discredit anyone with a dissenting view. Put media on the payroll. It's all good, kids.

So what is the president up to now? In an interview with City Newspaper, Carol Love, president of the regional Planned Parenthood, predicted that if conservatives can't overturn Roe v. Wade, they intend to cripple it with a protracted series of swift kicks; an incremental "chipping away" through things like parental notification laws and waiting periods. This latest trick could fall in that category.

Bush doesn't have to worry about re-election, and he loses nothing by throwing social conservatives a boner. He has no agenda to push. It also gives an unpopular president who's tied to an ugly and endless war and a tanking economy an "accomplishment" to brag about.

At the very least, actions like this confuse people. Historically, most people have assumed that life begins quite a bit after conception or even when the baby is born. Political rhetoric and advancing technology are pushing that assumption back earlier and earlier. The language of this new proposal bestows life even before implantation of the fertilized egg. The danger, of course, is that no one knows when life begins. Is that really something a political entity should decide?

I've been trying to figure out what this latest move means for John McCain. Maybe it enraptures the conservatives who've had their hearts broken by Bush and are reluctant to fall in love again. But it could also alienate the spurned Clinton supporters who might otherwise go for McCain. Most likely, it's the Bushies acting in their usual vacuum.

I have to wonder why the president is even involved in this issue. There's no shortage of urgent matters that are a lot closer to his job description. Maybe this man still feels like he's doing God's work.

The Bushies have six months left and, much like a dying animal, they're going to use their last gasps to do as much damage as possible. Turn off the lights when you leave. And don't forget to burn down the house.

Watch Iran. Watch abortion. Watch the oil. And watch out.