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While no doubt a majority of GOP voters is pro-life, it could be that pro-lifers could be divided among many candidates to the point that a pro-abortion candidate or mildly pro-abortion candidate could win a plurality of the vote in 2008. Since in most states it is winner-take-all in both primaries and conventions, an abortion sympathizer could win the GOP nomination for President with a plurality.

The party bosses think that pro-lifers would end up voting for the GOP candidate anyway. They are wrong about that. While those of us who have been Republicans for decades might swallow hard and vote for a nominee who is less than desirable, pro-lifers vote for pro-life candidates, period. If faced with two pro-abortion candidates most of them would stay home. The pro-abortion organizations own the Democrat party. That is not likely to change anytime soon. If the Republicans would be stupid enough to nominate a pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage candidate such as Rudy Giuliani, the pro-life vote would surely go to a third party and the election could well be handed to the Democrats.

Since the election there has been much hand wringing on the part of Democrats about what went wrong. Democratic presidential nominee Senator John Kerry (Mass.) has pointed out that with a switch of 60,000 votes in Ohio he would be President. It is not as if Democrats suffered a 49-state landslide as Ronald Reagan inflicted on Walter Mondale. Democrats have enough senators to threaten to shut down the Senate if Republicans re-instate the 220-year tradition of requiring a simple majority vote to confirm federal judges. In the House, a switch of 17 seats out of 435 seats would put the Democrats back in control. Democrats are much stronger than they are made out to be.

Republicans must decide who they are. If they agree with President Bush that the Party should contribute to a "culture of life" then it will continue being the pro-life Party with a pro-life presidential nominee. If not and they become like the Democrats on the life issue, no doubt voters will choose the genuine article. The best way to bring back the Democrats is for the Republicans to abandon the life issue.

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Paul M. Weyrich is the Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation.

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.

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