Some Key Conservatives Uneasy About Bush

How many will sit out?

When an influential group of conservatives gathers in downtown Washington each week, they often get a political pep talk from a senior Bush administration official or campaign aide. They don't expect a fellow Republican to deliver a blistering critique of President Bush's handling of the Iraq war.

Conservatives, the backbone of Bush's political base, are increasingly uneasy about the Iraq conflict and the steady drumbeat of violence in postwar Iraq.

Chief political adviser Karl Rove's formula for re-election is primarily to push Bush's conservative base to the polls.

Another administration official involved in Bush's re-election effort has voiced concern that angry conservatives will sit out the election.

But Matthew Dowd, the Bush-Cheney campaign's chief strategist, described the fear of losing conservative support as "just ludicrous."

Ron Reagan to Speak at Democrat Convention

Democrats have snagged a high-profile speaker — and a measure of political one-upmanship — for this month's convention: Ron Reagan.

The younger son of the late President Reagan will address the Democratic National Convention in Boston about stem cell research.