In reaching what they call the "Palm Sunday Compromise" over Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged Florida woman, Republicans would have us believe they are protecting the sanctity of life. President Bush, weighing in on the matter, said, "It is wise to always err on the side of life."

These claims are disingenuous at best and political posturing as usual. If they truly are concerned with life, would there be:

— 1,522 American men and women dead in Iraq as of Monday, March 21.

— 176 coalition troops dead in Iraq.

— An estimated 213 contractor employee deaths in Iraq (http://icasualties.org/oif/Civ.aspx)

— An unknown number Iraqi civilians killed (the estimates range from about 3,400 up to more than 10,000).

— An estimated 26 suspicious deaths of Iraqi prisoners during interrogations by U.S. military forces or CIA interrogators.

Protecting the sanctity of life? Hardly. The only lives they wish to protect are their own political lives.