ROVE'S COALITION STARTING TO CRUMBLE

Bush faces GOP shift on stem cells
5/31/05
By William Neikirk
Chicago Tribune senior correspondent
http://news.yahoo.com/s/chitribts/20050531/ts_chicagotrib/bushfacesgopshiftonstemcells


Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, 63, a conservative representing the San Diego area, says he wants to have a heart-to-heart talk with President Bush soon about embryonic stem cell research. He wants to change the president's mind.

At the very least, the House vote suggests the embryonic stem cell research issue may have limited utility for Republican candidates in future elections, unless public opinion turns around on the issue.

Cunningham, for example, restricts his support to allowing federally funded stem cell research on frozen embryos that are now in in-vitro fertilization clinics and that would be discarded. He said he opposes using cloned embryos in such research and the "harvesting" of embryos for stem cell research purposes.

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), a moderate who supported the bill, said it's only a matter of time before there is a veto-proof majority in Congress for expanded embryonic stem cell research.

Kirk, who played a key role in the House leadership's decision to stage the vote, believes that prominent conservative Republicans such as Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah could persuade Bush to change his mind. As a co-sponsor of the Senate measure to expand research on discarded embryos, Hatch said last week that the legislation is "pro-life," because the stem cells would be used to prolong life, cure disease and ease suffering.