Posted on 08/15/2005 9:37:24 PM PDT by Crackingham
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) was not present at Justice Sunday II, a televised gathering of major religious leaders in his home state to promote the Supreme Court nomination of John G. Roberts Jr., but he was on everyone's mind. Just over two weeks ago, the prospective presidential candidate alarmed some leaders of the Christian right when he broke ranks with President Bush to announce support of expanded embryonic stem cell research, a stand viewed in many quarters of the antiabortion movement as permitting the taking of a human life.
Some religious leaders who spoke here were prepared to forgive Frist or to grant him the benefit of the doubt. Others, however, warned that he had crossed an important moral boundary and would face political consequences.
Until his July 29 speech on the Senate floor, Frist had been viewed as a solid ally of religious conservatives, building his likely presidential candidacy on a strategy of securing a solid base of support on the right. Frist had been the featured speaker at Justice Sunday I, calling for an end to filibusters of judicial nominees, but he did not attend Sunday's event.
SNIP
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council and the leading organizer of Justice Sunday II, said: "I have a lot of respect for Senator Frist. We disagree with him on one issue, but it's a big issue. . . . I would not write him off; I would just say it will be very difficult to get support from the pro-life community. This is a big issue to disagree on, [but] it certainly does not end our friendship."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Thank God Frist learned from the Bush's blunder in the polls after the Schiavo case. I believe Christian Fundamentalists are just as politically liberal as others because they call for the government regulation of matters that should be dealt with common sense, not Christian principle.
It will be a southern Rat against a Southern GOP Governor!
I place my bets on Evan Bayh (D-IN) winning it all if he gets the Rats nomination!
Get back to the Senate and achieve something, bucko...
Welcome to FR, DU dreamer.
No confidence in frist for any reason.
He couldn't lead a puppy on a leash.
Why is it every other day there is an article claiming the 'religious right' has either split within itself or split from Republicans? Well, I know why but they are quickly assuming the 'cry wolf' syndrome.
The 'religious right', and I hate that term, have not split on Roberts and they haven't split over Frist. The Truth is that Frist has never been a strong candidate for '08 and the entirety, not just his position but how he went about it, was the last straw. Conservatives of all stripes don't believe he has what it takes to be president, let alone run a tough campaign and win Majority support in the General election.
Pretty much sums it up. Under the guise of "compassionate conservatism" or "Christian principle" all forms of big-government, nanny-state bills have been passed.
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