"I happen to agree that the Terry Schiavo controversy did enormous damage to the Republican Party."
I don't. I think it was a minor blip on the radar screen.
Perhaps you're right. I saw nothing wrong with Congress trying to get the courts to do an actual review of her status, but most of my friends and relatives, all of whom are conservative Christians, saw it as the government trying to interfere in the relationship between a man and his wife.