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Posted: August 1, 2007 6:14 PM
Conservative Backs Tancredo on Abortion Stance
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Following weeks of attacks from a rival campaign, Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., shored up support from a voice well-known in conservative circles: Phyllis Schlafly.

Schlafly, who founded the Eagle Forum, appeared on a radio show in Iowa last week to dismiss allegations from the campaign of Sen. Brownback, R-Kan., that Tancredo is weak in his opposition to abortion. She has also recorded a call to voters that declared, “I know for sure that he has always been a champion for the right to life of the unborn.”

The past week also presented opportunities for Tancredo to talk about issues other than immigration, particularly the war on terrorism. He questioned the label “war on terror,” asking how the United States could wage war on a tactic, and repeated earlier assertions that the threat of strikes against Muslim holy sites could serve as a deterrent from nuclear attacks on the U.S.

Tancredo has been campaigning in Iowa extensively this week, with stops in Parkersburg, Iowa Falls, Clear Lake, Denmark, Waukee, Ankeny, Pleasantville, Grinnell, Ames, Osceola, Creston, Bedford and Atlantic. On Sunday, he is expected to participate in a debate sponsored by ABC’s “This Week” at Drake University in Des Moines.

With 10 days to go until the Ames straw poll, his campaign has been stepping up its criticism of other Republican candidates’ immigration credentials. The campaign Web site now includes a feature called Amnesty Amnesia, which examines the records of Brownback and former Govs. Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.

Some candidates have shot back. Huckabee called on Tancredo to pull a campaign ad that he deemed dishonest, while former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson refuted notions that he supports amnesty for illegal immigrants.