>But the burning question is "Why, SPECIFICALLY, Terri Schiavo?"
Because unlike the other cases mentioned, the Schiavo matter is unequivocally private. It is the perfect American inversion of the political: that which is eminently public -- e.g., the decision to go to war, the grounds for such a decision -- is made the private and secret affair of top officials. It follows that the American population (it would be a misnomer to call them a "public") are only entitled to opinions on those matters that are, strictly speaking, none of their damn business.
Then there is the distinct possibility that a certain percentage mistake Schiavo for the actor who played Kojak on TV.
The Sandwichman