What a Difference a Day Makes . . .

Over at the Evangelical Outpost, Joe Carter wonders why President Bush was eager to speak up for protecting human life to a crowd of pro-lifers at yesterday's March for Life, but failed to mention the issue when addressing the entire nation tonight.  He captures the State of the Union in this graphic:

From the other side of the political spectrum, Jack Balkin is a wee bit skeptical about the President's annual statement to the pro-life marchers.  An excerpt:

[P]erhaps most importantly, the President did not use this opportunity to call directly for overturning Roe v. Wade. If he was really serious about protecting the sanctity of life as he sees it, he would do more than nibble about the edges with makeweights like the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002: he would state, clearly and forcefully, that Roe v. Wade is legalized murder and demand that it be overturned immediately. But he has not done so. Indeed, throughout his political career George W. Bush has always appealed to pro-life voters but has always stopped short of advocating the policy that they actually seek -- the overturning of Roe and the criminalization of abortion. The reason is that he knows the achievement of both of these would be a disaster for the electoral prospects of the Republican Party. Clearly some things are far more important than protecting the sanctity of human life.