Kline's parting shot

Having been demoted to a county district attorney in no small part because of his panty-sniffing obsession with patient records from family planning clinics, Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline has decided that one of his final official acts will be charging Dr. George Tiller with 30 misdemeanor charges. The allegations involve whether Tiller properly filed forms explaining the reasons why women needed abortions in the third trimester.

Kansas law allows third trimester abortions only if the woman faces injury to a "major bodily function." Tiller's attorney denies any wrongdoing, and says that Kline "has chosen to engage in a malicious and spiteful prosecution on the eve of Christmas."

Incoming Attorney General Paul Morrison says that he will review the evidence and determine how his office will handle these charges when the time comes.