The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

(Page 3 of 4)

Bopp is now in the eye of a storm after criticizing Sen. Sam Brownback for meeting with Giuliani, a meeting, sources say, that Giuliani asked for. Romney and Brownback had a scheduled meeting for this week, but it was abruptly canceled after Bopp's public criticism of Brownback, who ended his presidential run last week.

"Bopp is losing a great deal of credibility by attacking Brownback," says a longtime Washington-based pro-life conservative activist. "We know that Romney is at the very least a squish on abortion. But Bopp seems to ignore years of on-the-record statements and expects us to believe him and Romney's 'conversion' because he says we should believe a man who has done nothing for the [right to life] movement. Nothing."

p>Interestingly, Bopp made his shot across Brownback's bow via leftwing blog TalkingPointsMemo : br> /p>

"There's obviously something more going on here than fidelity to the pro-life cause," said Bopp, a legendary pro-life activist and lawyer who is an important voice for Romney because he vouches for his conservatism. "Brownback is angling for some personal political benefit by cozying up to Giuliani."

br> Brownback is expected to endorse another Republican candidate in the coming weeks, but it almost certainly won't be Romney, whose campaign spent hundreds of thousands of dollars attacking Brownback in Iowa through third parties. Brownback, in turn, regularly reminded Iowa voters of Romney's less than impressive record on life issues.

Romney's liberal social agenda has come back to haunt him now several times in the past week, most recently when a prominent South Carolina evangelical leader pulled back from a public endorsement for the former Massachusetts governor.

p> GONE FISHING br> Republicans around Washington are trying to figure out who is pressing conservative legal outcast and former anti-Clinton attack dog Larry Klayman in his trademark infringement suit against the conservative network, Freedom's Watch. Klayman is claiming he filed a trademark for a similar name in 2004. Now he's suing, and is preparing to depose five leaders from Freedom's Watch, all of whom have ties to the current Bush Administration, as well as to current Republican presidential candidates.

topics:
Trade, Nancy Pelosi, Abortion, Constitution, Law, Supreme Court, Iraq, Conservatism