The American Catholic: "Tribute to a RINO"

My friend, Don McClarey, has posted a very nice tribute to the recently deceased liberal Republican and former Senator from Oregon, Mark Hatfield:

... Ronald Reagan, who was a friend of Hatfield, once noted in his diary while he was President that with Republicans like Hatfield, who needed Democrats. He was a RINO’s RINO. Of course you know there is a but coming.

He was a Baptist and an ardent Christian. Perhaps partially because of that he was also an ardent foe of abortion and always voted pro-life. In a liberal state like Oregon that was a hard stance to take, but Hatfield never wavered from it. He introduced the first proposed constitutional amendment to ban abortion and he was a key ally of the late, and great, Congressman Henry Hyde in passing legislation banning federal funds for abortion...

[Read the whole thing]