In his recent article Robert Novak give some good instances when Democrats and liberals have joined hands with conservatives in trying to save Terri’s life. He writes about the vote on Capitol Hill where 47 Democrats voted for Terri’s law, and 53 against:

It was significant that Chet Edwards was one of the 47. Although he calls himself a “moderate,” his liberal voting record (as measured by Americans for Democratic Action) is usually around 80 percent.

He is a partisan Democrat who last year narrowly escaped Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s Texas redistricting.

While 102 House Democrats did not find their way back, Edwards made sure he got there.

Finding all seats filled on Continental and United planes from Houston to Washington, he managed to get a seat on a Southwest flight to Baltimore. When he listened to the debate, he was struck that Republicans seemed to be pleading for help for the unfortunate while Democrats were arguing legalisms.

“It was difficult,” Edwards told me, “but if we had to err, it would be better to err to keep her alive.”

Nine members of the Congressional Black Caucus agreed. So did such tried-and-true Democratic stalwarts as James Oberstar of Minnesota, Dale Kildee of Michigan and Jose Serrano of New York.

However, it was not only congressman who realized this was more than a political issue. As Novak continues:

On Monday night, Ralph Nader was substituting as left-wing host on CNN’s “Crossfire” and seemed uncomfortable grilling Republican Rep. David Dreier of California.

After the show, the old reformer noted to me that it was illegal to starve a dog to death but it was being done to Terri Schiavo.

(Emphasis mine.)