I've never really understood why people equate conservative = republican. The two just don't mix. Neither does Democrat = liberal. I really pity a conservative or liberal who votes down party lines for that reason.

That story was neat. Unfortunately I think it uses a very real issue to talk about a very petty one.

Regarding "tolerance" on the pro-life issue, even when Bill Clinton was president he was moved by the words of Mother Teresa when she met with Bill Clinton.

Courageously,firmly, but with courtesy and love, Mother Teresa had managed to reduce the controversy of ABORTION to its simplest MORAL terms: LIFE or DEATH, LOVE or REJECTION. Mother Teresa understood that sacrificial love is one of the most powerful weapons in the Christian's arsenal of grace.

Prophets come in all sizes and shapes, but can you imagine what even stronger words the prophet Elijah would have used? Mother Teresa
was against moral injustices. From all the words on abortion Bill Clinton heard while he was in office, I would bet Mother Teresa's sank in the deepest.

There are more than a million abortions in the United States each year.

Good story.
I got in very heated exchange a while back on a local forum about tolerance. The liberal-minded persons on that forum blasted me. In that particular case, I found that liberally-minded persons, in unison, were intolerant and beligerent about it. I thought it was just me. But then again, I have an issue with the word tolerance being used for political purposes.

"...the conservative vote can not be assured."

Is there a scenario where Rush Limbaugh would vote for Al Gore? One where Barbra Streisand would vote for George Bush?
The votes of the far right and far left are cast in stone. Astute politicians realize they need not pander to those groups, since our system inevitably offers a choice of only two candidates, and there is nowhere else to cast their votes. Elections are decided by the moderates...those who are not caught up in the group dynamics of party politics.

The debate is spurred (loudly) by these party wings, and therefore, creates the illusion that they will decide who is elected. It is only an illusion....we moderates will continue to listen to the rantings of both extremes, and then decide who will lead.

Al Gore is not running for President in 2008. Remember when Clinton was running against former President Bush? Even as conservative as some think Rush to be and he probably had a much bigger audience at that time, Rush was middle of the road on that vote. If Rush had spoken more favorably of former Pres. Bush with his huge radio listening audience, Bill Clinton never would have made it to the White House as President. Bill Clinton had too much bad Arkansas governor behavior against him. If Hillary decides for sure she is going to try for president in 2008 and it sure looks like she is considering all the fund raising for the democrat Hollywood liberals, is the U.S. ready to have to go through Bill Clinton like a cat on the prowl for his needs that seem to have a history of not getting met by Hillary. There have been reporters that said they did not even share the same bedroom at the White House, and the Clintons treated the white house staff with disrespect.

Now Hillary Clinton has asked Ellen D. from the Ellen t.v. show if she could take Ellen on a tour of New York City during Thanksgiving. Hum...do you remember the very popular t.v. show with Virgin Airlines when Sir Richard tried to get the contestants to get as much FREE PUBLICITY as possible? The Clintons
are masters at the free publicity stunt.