WHY THE BASE IS SECURE:

U.S., Pushing for Broader Ban, Blocks U.N. Anti-Cloning Move (Julia Preston, November 8, 2002, NY Times)

The United States, supported by 36 other nations, blocked an initiative by Germany and France today for a worldwide ban on cloning to create human beings, insisting that the ban should include all forms of human cloning.

Little noticed in the elections of Tuesday was the decisive influence of the Christian Right, which turned out in big numbers. The most obvious example was in Georgia, where the Republican Party is now led by Ralph Reed, formerly head of the Christian Coalition, and where the GOP took every constitutional office, the US Senate seat, and control of the legislature. But in general, in races where attention was great, turnout was high, and differences were stark--like MN, MO and NH--pro-life candidates won. In MO, for example, abortion was the second most important issue cited in exit polling, at 17% vs. The Economy (21%), and of that 17% a staggering 80% voted for Jim Talent. This obviously runs counter to the conventional wisdom, which holds that the GOP gets killed by its intransigence on such issues, and suggests that the political landscape on abortion has shifted dramatically. People may not want abortion recriminalized, but they do appear increasingly uncomfortable with the Left's insistence on abortion on demand. Posted by Orrin Judd at November 8, 2002 6:08 PM