STATE OF THE UNION: Colleen Carroll Campbell

...Why would a leader brave enough to push a divisive Social Security reform plan and bold enough to pledge an end to tyranny around the world appear to be backing down on the very issues that sealed his reelection? After all, the political winds are blowing in his favor: A 2004 poll from Zogby International found that 56 percent of Americans support more restrictions on abortion and believe that abortion should never be legal or legal only in cases of rape, incest, or a direct threat to the life of the mother. A majority of Americans also oppose same-sex marriage, and overwhelming majorities of red- and blue-state voters approved state bans on same-sex marriage last November. Given such strong support for the president's positions--not to mention his own campaign promises on these issues, which accounted for much of the support he received from traditionally Democratic Catholic, Hispanic, African-American, and union voters--Bush's sudden apparent loss of nerve is odd and unsettling.

It is also politically dangerous. Democrats like New York Senator Hillary Clinton--who said last week that abortion is a "tragic choice" that can be averted by teaching "religious and moral values" and encouraging "teenage celibacy"--are eager to fill the vacuum created by Bush's silence. If their rhetoric on moral values becomes indistinguishable from the president's, and he fails to make progress on restricting abortion and protecting traditional marriage, Republicans can expect trouble in 2006.

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posted by Eve at 4:01 PM VOTE

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