By LAURIE KELLMAN
The Associated Press
Friday, June 17, 2005; 6:42 PM
WASHINGTON -- Nancy Reagan is poised to take on President Bush _ quietly,
behind the scenes _ over stem cell research, anxious to put federal funding
behind research that could cure Alzheimer's disease suffered by her late
husband.
She's done it before, making calls to wavering lawmakers when the House,
despite a veto threat, passed a bill last month with the support of 50
Republicans.
Just past the anniversary of President Reagan's death, his widow is ready
to fight for research that could lead to a cure for the disease that killed
him.
"This is a very important issue to her and I know she remains committed to
the cause and will do what she can at the right time," her spokeswoman,
Joanne Drake, said in an interview Thursday.
Douglas Wick, the Hollywood producer who said he persuaded Mrs. Reagan to
speak out on the issue, agreed.
"Certainly when the Senate fight becomes clear, she will be involved
again," said Wick, whose father, Charles, was director of the U.S.
Information Agency during the Reagan administration.
"She prefers to work behind the scenes, as she did in the House," Wick said.
As Mrs. Reagan bounced back from a fall in London, those close to her
described a spry former first lady, 83, still mourning her husband but
intent on getting federal funding for research that could lead to cures for
diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes.
Her phone calls fueled a House debate on a bill to lift Bush's 2001
restrictions on public funding for newly developed embryonic stem cell
lines. The bill passed last month, 238-194, with 50 Republicans voting yes
_ many of them staunch abortion opponents and White House allies. But that
fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.
It's unclear whether Mrs. Reagan's telephone calls during that debate
changed or solidified any votes. But she has put pressure on abortion
opponents _ especially those who call themselves Reagan Republicans.
Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif., who has known the Reagans since college, said
years of conversations with the former first lady persuaded him to vote yes.
"I hadn't made a final decision until right before" the vote, Dreier said
Friday. "Sure, Nancy Reagan had a big impact on me."
Some other House members, too.
"I feel very confident in saying that there are a lot of my colleagues who
got calls from Nancy Reagan who say that was a very important part of the
decisionmaking process," he added.
Acknowledged by those on both sides of the issue to be the most powerful
advocate involved, the former first lady wields her influence quietly,
which is rare in the loud debate.
Supporters of the stem cell bill say embryonic research carries great
promise in the search for cures for diseases that afflict millions of
Americans.
Opponents say taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for research
that destroys days-old fertilized embryos from which the stem cells are
extracted. Instead, many of them support federally funded research on other
kinds of stem cells, such as those derived from umbilical cord blood and
adults.
The Senate is the bill's next battleground, but there also is talk of a
compromise bill that would provide federal dollars for an embryonic stem
cell research process that does not destroy the embryo _ and thus nullify
the 'life' issue.
For now, Mrs. Reagan and other advocates have turned their sights on the
Senate.
A bipartisan group of sponsors say they have at least 58 votes for the
House-passed bill _ two short of the number required to stop a promised
filibuster. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., a physician and
White House ally, said he expects the chamber to act on the bill next month.
For Mrs. Reagan, the stem cell issue is both personal and public. Six years
after President Reagan's second term ended, he announced in 1994 that he
had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Millions watched a decade
later when Mrs. Reagan escorted his body on a cross-country memorial tour
and finally collapsed, weeping, over the coffin.
Central to Mrs. Reagan's message is the notion that supporting the bill is
consistent with anti-abortion policy, say those who have spoken with her.
"She makes a very good case for why this is something that somebody who
cares very much about respect for life also cares very much for the respect
for the living," said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who had already made up
his mind when she called asking for advice on strategy.
What is clear, Issa said, is that Mrs. Reagan "is hard to say no to,"
especially for lawmakers who call her husband their role model.
"There can be no doubt," he added, "that she knows exactly what Ronald
Reagan would want."
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