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By SARA FRITZ
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 10, 2001
WASHINGTON -- President Bush had a rare political opportunity Thursday night to mend fences with moderate voters who, because of his earlier decisions on energy and environmental issues, have come to fear that he is a conservative extremist.
And that is exactly what he did by announcing he is releasing federal funds for limited embryonic stem cell research.
At the same time, his supporters said, he demonstrated that he is better able to grasp the subtleties of a complex, scientific issue than his critics contend.
"This was a huge chance for him to show some balance, some leadership," observed Rep. Mark Foley, R-Palm Beach. "It shows him to be a very thoughtful person."
Polls indicate a majority of Americans favor the research, which is expected to help medical researchers find ways to combat degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
According to a recent Gallup poll done for ABC News and the Washington Post, three out of five Americans approve of embryonic stem cell research. And this includes more than half of those who voted for Bush in 2000.
These voters who support embryonic stem cell research are believed to be the same people -- both Republicans and Democrats -- who have worried that Bush's emphasis on energy production will wind up spoiling the environment.
Officially, of course, White House officials insisted that public opinion had nothing to do with Bush's decision.
"The president does not make decisions by polls," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan. "This is a decision that was made based on what he believes is in the best interest of the American people and in the best interest of this nation.
Foley was one of 38 House Republicans who wrote a recent letter to Bush, urging him to support federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. While most -- if not all -- of these House members also support a woman's right to an abortion, another Republican who advocates the use of existing embryos for research is Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, an abortion opponent.
Hatch's unique position was expected to help soften the impact of Bush's decision among his core anti-abortion supporters. Nevertheless, they were disappointed.
Rep. Joseph Pitts, R-Pa., an outspoken opponent of stem cell research, portrayed it as a crucial political turning point for Bush.
"If the president makes the wrong decision," Pitts said Thursday before the announcement, "it will be as important as his father's tax pledge: "Read my lips.' "
Likewise, Kenneth Connor, president of the Family Research Council, warned that to use embryonic stem cells for medical research "is the ethos of Dr. Mengele, who experimented on doomed twins at Auschwitz."
Many supporters of stem cell research were surprised by the decision, especially because Bush had previously said he opposed it. House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri said Bush chose "science over politics."
Gephardt said he recognized Bush was taking a dangerous step that would anger millions of people no matter what he decided.
"This has obviously been a tough decision for the president, and I applaud him for taking the time to consider different views before making his announcement," Gephardt said. "The president's announcement tonight will have profound ramifications on the lives of millions of Americans and their families."
Foley added: "This was a gamble for him. But I don't think he can satisfy the conservatives on every issue."
According to the ABC-Washington Post poll, voters who described themselves as conservatives were evenly split on the question of using embryonic stem cells in research, while self-identified moderates favor it by better than 2-1 and liberals support it, 6-1.
As for the specific question of whether federal funds should be spent on this type of research, a poll by Zogby International showed a clear majority of Americans also favored it.
Among those who cast their ballots for Bush in 2000, Zogby found 42 percent favored federal funding and 39.8 percent were against it -- a split that is no bigger than the margin of error in the poll.
Some analysts have described the issue of stem cell research as the political mirror image of a ban on partial-birth abortion. Many liberal abortion rights supporters were unable to argue against the ban because it seemed reasonable to them. On stem cell research, many anti-abortion conservatives are conflicted because stem cell research could also save lives.
As a result, says Republican pollster David Winston, Bush's decision will have limited political impact.
"It's important, but not as important to people as tax cuts or education policy," he said.