When moderates attack

Whaaa? Seems the moderates in the House GOP aren't following Tom DeLay's script.

The issue prompted intense debate Wednesday within the Republican caucus, which met behind closed doors in late afternoon to discuss it. Some Republicans were seething over a poll conducted by the Winston Group and partly financed by the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group of moderates. Mr. Castle is the partnership's president.

The survey questioned voters in 13 Republican districts and found that 66 percent supported embryonic stem cell research, while 27 percent were opposed. But lawmakers in those districts, including Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri, the third-ranking Republican in the House, were not told about the poll and were caught off guard by it.

Mr. Blunt emerged tight-lipped from Wednesday's meeting, brushing aside questions from supporters, except to say that he did not support Mr. Castle's bill.

Read on. The American Catholic Church sounds more like a PAC -- or a K Street lobbyist -- every day.