NRA endorsement of Bush is on hold

An influential gun-rights group known for backing Republicans is unlikely to endorse President Bush until after the federal assault-weapons ban expires in September. Bush supports the renewal of the 10-year ban but has not called on the GOP-controlled Congress to act. If he does so, the move would probably cost him the endorsement of the National Rifle Association (NRA).

In an earlier article, I spoke about how Internet-based activists (both bloggers and some organizations), with help from the Gun Owners of America and other no-compromise, pro-gun groups, convinced the Senate to vote down the liability protection bill after poison-pill amendments were added -- including a renewal of the Assault Weapons Ban.

One of the messages going around stated that the NRA was doing backroom deals to get the liability bill passed, and then try to remove it in the House. This is a risky strategy that had already backfired once, and the efforts of activists convinced the NRA to abandon the strategy shortly before the final vote.

Now, we are seeing more fallout from that push. It appears the NRA is putting their 2004 endorsement on the bargaining table for Bush. The implication is that they will endorse him once the AWB expires, and refuse to do so if he signs a renewal. That's powerful mojo. That's the NRA maybe thinking that it has this spine thing that it might be able to use. Wow.