Actually, I think the only way to support our legal right to abortion, if you are opposed to it personally, is to note that abortion may be permitted in this country legally but to also state your personal right not to have one. They also have the right to counsel their female relatives in alternatives to abortion.

Sounds to me like you think if a politician is against abortion but recognizes the legal right of a woman to get one, that politician is being dishonest. I think they've found a way to stay true to their moral convictions, but also support the US Constitution. Do you really think all pro-choice Republicans are vile?

There is a separate blog discussing abortion right now and in that I have stated my views on abortion in regards to personal versus legal beliefs.  My beliefs on abortion have no religious leanings. 

What I was talking about here was that a politician who supports abortion when it runs contrary to his religious beliefs is hypocritical- and I would never trust such hypocrisy.  Of course we all recognize a woman's right to obtain an abortion because the Supreme Court said that women do have that right (based on an implied right to privacy).  Being Republican has nothing to do with it- abortion transcends party lines.  Any politician who goes against their religious beliefs for the sake of being elected to office is vile.  If they really believe that abortion is wrong, they should fight against it, not accept it as inevitable.  But, please, don't get stuck on the abortion issue.  There is a more appropriate forum for that right now.

Sorry m'dear, but you're misguided in believing "abortion transcends party lines." When one party has a "right to life" plank & the other recognizes a woman's right to choose what happens to her own body, there are definite party lines drawn. To think otherwise is naive, at best.

All right, I'm not only naive, I'm an idiot!  All Republicans are "pro-life".  All Democrats are "pro-choice".  What a fool I am for thinking that some people don't think in party lines!  How very naive of me to believe that some people actually think for themselves but have the need to lump themselves into a party that they mostly agree with in order to get elected.

(Forget about pro-choice Republicans Rudy Giuliani, Condoleezza Rice, Sen Specter (PA), and Fred Thompson to name a few; and some pro-life Democrats:  Representatives Altmire (PA), Bordallo (GU), Boren (OK), Costello (IL), Lincoln Davis (TN), Donnelly (IN), Ellsworth (IN), Holden (PA), Kanjorski (PA), Kaptur (OH), Kildee (MI), Lipinski (IL), Marshall (GA), McIntyre (NC), Melancon (LA), Mollohan (WV), Murtha (PA), Oberstar (MN), Peterson (MN), Rahall (WV), Shuler (NC), Skelton (MO), Stupak (MI), Taylor (MS), Wilson (OH).)

From what you say I can only logically assume you are a Democrat.  So, take a guess:  What party am I?  Hahaha...

hey lets save the newborn and kill the criminal.......ain't that pro life?

Look madkow, you were the one who asserted that abortion wasn't a Democratic/Republican issue. I just pointed out that the two parties have definitely drawn different conclusions about the issue. I know you're young & probably don't remember that the "founding father" of modern conservatism, Barry Goldwater, was pro-choice. It wasn't until the '80s, when the Republican party decided to court the religious-right vote, that the party officially adopted their right-to-life stance.

It's proving to be a conundrum for the Republicans right now. While Giuliani is leading in the polls, there's a core group of conservatives who absolutely refuse to support him even if he gets the nomination, simply because he is pro-choice. I can show you, if you like, what these people are saying about him (it's pretty harsh & sometimes disgusting, but these people are the "base" of the party.) They seem to love Thompson because he says he's against abortion (despite your new assertion.) In any case, the Republicans are losing the young vote, in large part because of their socially regressive platform. Their 18-24 year-old membership has dropped to just 17% of the party, down from 25% just a few years ago.

I agree with you that there are party members on both sides who disagree with the official party platforms. But look how the Democrats treat their dissenters vs. how the Republicans are treated. Look at what Christie Todd Whitman had to say about her party & her treatment as a pro-choice Republican. I just don't see what you're claiming, that abortion isn't a party issue. I remember what it was like in this country before 1972, so maybe that explains our differences.

Um... ok.

What is Bush trying to accomplish with this new stimulus package. I think hes doing it to to save face. He is going down as a not so good president. I guess he doesn't want to go out when the country is in a rescission. I can't blame him. I still think hes a Idiot.