Daschle and Abortion: Having It Both Ways

A reader writes in to say that I completely missed the key point of that new Christianity Today article:

Didn't you see what he said about abortion?!?

Now that you mention it, here's what Daschle is saying:

Bishop Robert Carlson, head of the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls, recently told Catholics, "You cannot vote for a politician who is pro-abortion, when you have a choice, and remain a Catholic in good standing."

Daschle said in a written statement to CT, "My record reflects the principles embodied by Catholic teachings and the church's legislative positions far more often than not. I am opposed to abortion. We can make meaningful progress in the effort to prevent abortion. That is my goal." Daschle voted for the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, reversing earlier votes against the ban during the Clinton administration.

In 2002, however, when Daschle was preparing to run for President and therefore getting in the good graces of the Democratic base, he sent a fundraising letter on behalf of NARAL which made much of his valiant efforts to stop the "anti-choice forces" and the importance of keeping "pro-choice leadership" in the Senate:

Date: October 29, 2002

To: NARAL Supporter

From: Tom Daschle, U.S. Senate Majority Leader

Rarely has so much been at stake for a woman's right to choose in a U.S. Senate Election.... Anti-choice forces are organizing and mobilizing right now to defeat champions of reproductive rights, champions like Missouri Senator Jean Carnahan. The U.S. Senate's pro-choice leadership cannot afford to lose an ally like Senator Carnahan. So, we must succeed in getting out the pro-choice vote in this and other key states where pro-choice leadership could be lost. Because Jean Carnahan is serving as an appointed Senator in place of her late husband, Mel Carnahan, Missouri's current governor could be forced to immediately swear-in Jim Talent, a strongly anti-choice conservative. As the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate, I've stood up for a woman's right to choose, and the pro-choice leadership of the Senate has made a difference by safeguarding women's rights from the anti-choice agenda of the Bush administration. Please give to NARAL today, so NARAL can mobilize the resources to get out the pro-choice vote on Election Day.

Gratefully,

Senator Tom Daschle

I think this issue belongs in the even-though-I-oppose-Bush-on-a-daily-basis-I'll-portray-myself-hugging-him-in-ads category. People have told me that the Daschle campaign says in South Dakota that Daschle "is against abortion," despite what he says to NARAL. I don't really know what Daschle's "position" is, but when he's sending fundraising emails for NARAL and the Bishop of Sioux Falls is saying don't vote for him, that's probably a good indication of where he stands. Of course this is dramatic contrast to when he was first running for office in 1978:

To hold his Democratic base together enough to prevail in the election and avoid McGovern's impending fate, Daschle emphasized his Catholic credentials. Daschle sent a letter to voters saying "I am opposed to abortion. I do not support it. I have never supported it. It is an abhorrent practice. As a citizen and as a lifelong member of the Catholic faith I will do everything in my power to persuade others that abortion is wrong." To solidify his Catholic bona fides, Daschle enclosed a letter from eight Catholic nuns saying "We know and we tell those with whom we speak of your abhorrence for abortion — and of your commitment to life."

When first running for the Senate in 1986, Daschle saw abortion as a form of murder:

On November 1, in response to criticism of his abortion record, Daschle sent a letter to voters stating that "I am unalterably opposed to abortion on demand" and casting the issue as "a battle over human life." Daschle enclosed a letter to him from a minister, who vouched for Daschle's pro-life credentials: "I remember some of the very personal, deeply soul-searching conversations we've had on this subject. You used expletives like 'repulsive' and 'gross' in underscoring your abhorrence of abortion. You even said it is a form of murder, and I believe you are right. The bottom line is you are as opposed to abortion as I am."

One would think that an enterprising reporter would try and sort all this out. One would think.