I told Dennis Byrne he would be disappointed to hear that I did not read his entire column in today's Chi Trib to the lady of our house after dinner tonight, only selections. Such as his compromise proposal whereby a fetus's being brain dead or alive suffices to bring us together on whether to respect his life or not.

Why didn't I think of that? I asked my helpmeet. Because I am stuck in Vatican-style (old Europe) thinking, I told her. Look to the American experience for a decent solution, I said.

Seeking common ground, he argued that brain life would qualify the fetus as belonging to the "community," whereby hangs the tale in contemporary parlance.

Fanatical pro-choicers will not buy it, he wrote, but they can be properly marginalized, he implied, once the issue becomes once more debatable and debated, I mean once we (thru the Supreme Ct) return choice to voters by overturning Roe-Wade.

Very good column, hung on the Hillary-as-veering-right peg. Byrne closes by urging her not to oppose Bush's pro-life-leaning judges, who will return choice to voters.