Will White House stall prolife measures?
"Pro-life groups and lawmakers are hopeful that, with control of the Senate shifting to Republicans, some key prolife measures could become law next year," reports The Washington Times.

The top priority for prolifers? Banning partial-birth abortion. "I think we're now on the brink of actually banning it," says Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Constitution subcommittee.

Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), even puts a timetable on it. "I think we'll do it in the first six months of the new session," he says.

Then there's Incoming Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott's now-famous declaration to American Family Radio: "I will call it up, we will pass it, and the President will sign it. I'm making that commitment—you can write it down."

But wait, says The Washington Post:

Such public pronouncements on the Hill worry Bush aides. It's not because the president objects to the policy … but because he does not wish to be seen as a captive of his party's ideologues, as President Bill Clinton did when he moved quickly on gay rights in the military. … Though Bush aides have persuaded most religious conservatives not to push for abortion legislation in the lame-duck session of Congress, the real test of antiabortion patience will come on Jan. 22—the 30th anniversary of the Roe decision, and the date of a major march in the capital.

On Thursday, the Post reports, the White House had a conference call with conservative organizations, asking them to cool their jets a bit. "They're saying the president's priorities are already known, but let's be prudent and not just aggravate the Democrats by putting it in their face," Crisis magazine editor Deal Hudson told Post reporter Dana Milbank. "It ...