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As I read the op-ed section of today’s New Hampshire Sunday News (Union Leader), the columns by George Will and Charles Krauthammer caught my attention. The sentiments each expressed are so close to what I have been thinking that it must be time to get fitted for a new tinfoil hat, as mine obviously leaks…
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First, writes George Will on abortion:
[I]t is said that if the Republican Party wants to be competitive in California in presidential politics, it must nominate a pro-choice candidate, of which there is only one — Rudy Giuliani. This is almost certainly true. It certainly is irrational because pro-choice Californians have next to nothing to fear — just as pro-life Californians have next to nothing to hope for — from a right-to-life President. The practical consequences of such a President concerning abortion would not differ significantly from Giuliani’s consequences. Here is why..Abortion policy is almost entirely in the custody of the U.S. Supreme Court, and will remain so unless or until the court decides to restore moral federalism regarding the issue.
Exactly. I have often said as of late that I don’t think it makes as much of a difference as one might think regarding the President’s position on abortion, save the use of the bully pulpit. Bill Clinton was adamantly pro-choice. George W. Bush is as much pro-life. What has been the difference, really? The battle is over judges, and, as Will notes, the record isn’t so good there for pro-life presidential appointments. Beyond that, he examines what the result of the overturning of Roe v. Wade most probably will be. Read Will’s entire piece here. And no, I haven’t become pro-choice…
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Krauthammer’s column, titled "Republicans stronger than many think" also echoes what I have been saying: we really DO have an excellent field of Republicans to choose from this time around. Mr. Krauthammer argues that with candidates Giuliani, Romney, McCain, and Fred Thompson,
in 2007 we have, by any reasonable historical standard, a fine Republican field: One of the great big-city mayors of the last century; a former governor of extraordinary executive talent; a war hero, highly principled and deeply schooled in national security; and a former senator with impeccable conservative credentials.
Go here to read the whole thing.
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