Hillary, widely viewed as the likely Democratic nominee in 2008, is obviously trying to limit the electoral damage done by the party's blind support for abortion.

So the party that denied late Pennsylvania Governor Robert Casey an opportunity to speak at the 1992 Democratic National Convention because of his pro-life position now seeks to be open to pro-lifers.

What could have caused such an epiphany?

Perhaps losing seven of the last ten presidential elections could have something to do with it. Also, the fact that 22 percent of all voters in the 2004 election identified moral issues as the primary issue could be a motivating factor.

Then there's the post-election Gallup polling estimates that 25 percent of President Bush's support (more than 15 million votes) came from single-issue pro-life voters.

While Mr. Kerry is a Catholic, he demurs that "I don't believe that I have a right to take what is an article of faith to me and legislate it to other people." Perhaps that's why he lost the Catholic vote by a margin of 52-47.

Most Catholics view the slaughter of unborn babies as a brutal act of murder rather than an article of faith akin to the dogma of the Trinity.

Democrats are reading the political tea leaves and recognizing that their aggressive pro-abortion stance has cost them time and again in the voting booth.

Contrast this with former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, who in her new book, "It's My Party Too," complains that the Republican Party is too pro-life for her taste. With even Democrats pandering to pro-lifers, Whitman's advice to the GOP to move left on the issue doesn't make much sense.

In fact, when Rockefeller Republicans like her held sway in the days before Barry Goldwater changed the direction of the party, they lost six out of eight presidential elections. Meanwhile, since the conservative ascendancy, the GOP won seven out of the last ten elections.

With Democrats working harder than ever to appeal to red state voters, the GOP would do well to steer clear of Gov. Whitman's political advice.

Editor's note: