Republican moderates are running scared in the House, worried about re-election.
Weld, however, maintains the fight is about the party's soul, even as Republican moderates protest it isn't.
Republican moderates simply see it as their first chance in decades to get a hearing on the House floor.
Republican moderates are exasperated by President Bush's posture on environmental issues.
But he also told several dozen Republican moderates last week that he would consider their plea for an earlier vote.
Behind those numbers is a larger shift with several Republican moderates replaced by much more conservative senators.
But that amount would probably be impossible to pass in the Senate, where Republican moderates have refused to go above $350 billion.
A crucial question is how many Republican moderates break with their party.
Republican moderates are under heavy pressure from the right.
That makes another 20 or so Republican moderates the swing voters.
The aide had heard it all before; Republican moderates generally regarded the proposals as silly and even dangerous.
The Republican moderates apparently have no spirit left to fight for a place in the party.
The Republican moderates' growing strength represents a remarkable transformation.
Democrats and Republican moderates, crying sham, rose up to defeat the Republican leadership's measure almost 2 to 1.
But Democrats, and Republican moderates, would not sit still.
We speak of the new predictions that Republican moderates will any moment now seize control of their party.
He commented, "Today, Republican moderates are all but extinct."
By teaming up with Democrats, the Republican moderates prevented their own party leaders and the Bush administration from getting their way.
The small band of Republican moderates left in Congress meet for lunch every Tuesday.
The Republican moderates who might consider voting for a gas tax increase will stay firmly in camp when the override votes are counted, the governor said.
