The fact is that abortion will NEVER be solved in the political or legislative arena, at least not in the short run. Period. It will only be solved when pro-lifers get up and move people to their viewpoints. After that, then move it to the legislative and political arena.
The pro-life cause was set back when pro-lifers set up camp in the GOP. That was the first sure way to make sure that your support gets taken for granted. I would suggest that pro-lifers not become the "core" (read as 'reliable') voters of the Republican party, but instead become a swing voter.
On the abortion issue, it doesn't matter whether I vote for Alan Keyes or Hillary Clinton, abortion law will be the same no matter who wins. What does matter is if I get out and move people to my pro-life views, because abortion law will only change when the PUBLIC at large wants it to change. If the pro-life cause is bigger than a mere political party (and it is), we should not restrict the cause to rely on the election of Republican politicians for it's success.
Preisdent Bush is a good and decent man. But he also knows that no matter how bad he offends the pro-life cause, he can rely on pro-life voters to vote for him. You may say I'm wrong, but the election results don't lie. Pro-life voters voted overwhelmingly for Bush and did not split between Bush and a more staunchly pro-life Pat Buchanan. Pro-life voters don't put their vote where their mouth is, and that's why the pro-life cause nevers gets addresseed. Republican candidates don't have to compete for pro-life votes. They go to the GOP candidate by default.
Pro-life voters should not prostitute themselves as mere subjects of the GOP brass. The minute that pro-life voters stop voting as a block for Republican candidates is the minute that politicians will start seriously addressing the pro-life cause.
Don't tie the pro-life cause to a single political party. That's the first way to dispatch your cause to irrelevancy.
If pro-life Bush voters like myself had thought that he was not pro-life, and would not appoint pro-life Supreme Court nominees, they would not have voted for him. During the campaign, Bush was more pro-life than Buchanan, and since Pat had changed on so many issues over the years, his neglect of that issue left me more suspicious of him than Bush. I remain convinced that you are not presenting your honest position, but seek to drive pro-life Republicans out of the 'big-tent', to give you greater power within a dwindling GOP.
IM2Phat4U posted an article in another thread which showing some interesting exit poll information: Of those voting Republicans whose primary voting concern was abortion, 58% voted of Bush and 41% voted for Gore.
That should be a major wake up for the GOP. There are a hefty number of Republicans who voted outside their party because of abortion.