Commentary: Zagging Right: Did Bush Lose More Than He Won?

Propelled by a victory in Iowa's Jan. 24 caucuses, GOP front-runner George W. Bush is barreling toward new showdowns in New Hampshire (Feb. 1) and South Carolina (Feb. 19) against rival John McCain and an emboldened Steve Forbes. But Bush's first win, in a contest dominated by social conservatives, was not cost-free.

To cement 41% of the caucus vote, Bush felt compelled to woo the Religious Right. He played up his religious faith and, during a December debate is Des Moines, identified Jesus as his favorite political philosopher. Finally, with just days to go before the vote, on Jan. 20, he attacked the Supreme Court's 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. That could cost him with New Hampshire's big bloc of independents--and even more later on, in the general election, when he'll need support from suburban swing voters to win.