Brownback, Hunter court conservatives at anti-abortion rally

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Two of the Republicans' most conservative presidential hopefuls promised anti-abortion activists on Monday that if elected, they would work to overturn the Supreme Court decision

Monday, January 22nd 2007, 9:22 pm

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Two of the Republicans' most conservative presidential hopefuls promised anti-abortion activists on Monday that if elected, they would work to overturn the Supreme Court decision legalizing the procedure.

Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback and California Rep. Duncan Hunter addressed the annual March for Life marking the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.

``We recognize a tragedy of life in Roe v. Wade, but that tragedy will not always stand,'' Brownback told thousands of cheering abortion foes at an afternoon rally.

Brownback, who formally launched his presidential bid on Saturday, spoke about adopting his daughter, Jenna, from a Chinese orphanage.

``I mention her because some woman in China, who I probably will never meet, fought for her life,'' Brownback said. ``Somebody fought for her life. You are fighting for somebody's life.''

Hunter, who has established a presidential exploratory committee, told the crowd that he and his wife would begin to campaign in earnest on Thursday in South Carolina, one of the earliest primary states.

``If we have a judicial applicant, a judicial nominee who can look at a sonogram of an unborn child and not see the value of human life ... if I should become president of the United States, he will not receive a judicial appointment,'' Hunter said.

Both lawmakers are viewed as long shots to win the nomination over better-known candidates like Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Each is aiming to corner the party's social conservative base, which considers abortion a key issue.

Brownback later hosted a reception on Capitol Hill for about 200 of the activists.

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) _ Sen. John McCain has enlisted the support of two key Iowa activists as he prepares for the state's precinct caucuses in January, which will open the presidential nominating season.

Ed Failor Jr. and Karen Slifka will both back McCain, R-Ariz., as senior advisers.

Failor is a top executive of Iowans for Tax Relief, which runs the state's largest political action committee and is a major force in Iowa Republican politics. He ran field operations for President Bush's campaign in Iowa in 2004 and is credited with helping Bush pull out a narrow win, the first time Iowa has voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1984.

Slifka is a veteran organizer in the state who moved to Washington to take a string of political jobs. She will join McCain's effort after she leaves her post as a strategist for the Republican National Committee.

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WASHINGTON (AP) _ Tell us, Sen. Hillary Clinton, what do you say to people who think the country isn't ready for a woman president?

``We won't know until we try,'' Clinton replied Monday night during a series of live Web broadcasts in which she fielded questions e-mailed from around the U.S.

``Everytime we've broken any barriers, that's always required people to take a bit of a leap of faith because it hasn't been done before,'' she said, ``but I am fully confident that there are many women in our country who are equipped and ready to lead.''

Clinton, a New York Democrat, announced her candidacy Saturday on the Internet. The Web broadcasts Monday night were short of revelations _ except, perhaps, her favorite movies: ``The Wizard of Oz,'' ``Casablanca'' and ``Out of Africa.''