Tuesday, voters in the 2nd Congressional District sent a message to Washington, rejecting President Bush’s stance toward war in Iraq, homeland security and traditional family values. However, their cries will inevitably go unnoticed, for the national election results show that the United States is headed in a more positive direction.

Following the 2000 election, we saw a nation divided and a President without a clear mandate. This week, the nation gave a resounding vote of support for President Bush and the Republican Party, and we are now on the verge of some very exciting times. Although the national security of the country was foremost in the minds of the voters, the nation’s commitment to traditional values was also reaffirmed.

In close U.S. Senate races throughout the country, Republicans picked up the overwhelming majority of them. In these races, the electorate saw the Republican vision for America as the most promising. In a post 9/11 environment, the American people recognized the importance of faith and family more than ever.

In one of the few Senate races in which a Republican incumbent lost, family values still played a decisive role. Arkansas Sen. Tim Hutchinson campaigned on defending traditional morality, and was an outspoken critic of former President Clinton’s White House sexual escapades.

However, he recently left his wife for a former staffer, and questions arose over his personal character. Voters were justifiably outraged at the hypocrisy of Hutchinson. His Democratic opponent Mark Pryor ran as a conservative family man, and despite the Republican loss, this race turned out to be another victory for traditional family values.

Tuesday may also prove to be the biggest victory in the history of the pro-life movement. For months now, Democrats in the U.S. Senate have been holding up many of the president’s federal judicial nominees. The reason for this is well known. Most Democrats feel that anyone staunchly opposed to abortion is unqualified to sit on a federal bench. On Tuesday, the American people strongly rejected this notion. We will now see truly qualified federal judges going through the Senate, and hopefully our nation’s judicial system will be better off because of it.

There is one very clear reason why Tuesday’s election might signal the eventual abolition of abortion. Following the 2000 election, Republicans did control the presidency and both houses of congress. However, because of the election debacle in Florida and the very divisive nature of the time period, nothing productive could be seriously accomplished. Now in contrast, President Bush has been given a clear mandate from the American people. Considering the abortion debate is now in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court, the implications of the mid-term election are huge.

If Chief Justice William Renquist should decide to retire, for instance, a like-minded justice would replace him and Antonin Scalia, a conservative Roman Catholic, would become the next chief justice. Secondly, if there are any other retirements in the nation’s top court, a very likely possibility, the Republicans could virtually pass through anyone they wished if they remain united.

Over 40 million innocent unborn children have been killed through abortion in the United States, and their blood has forever stained the honor of this nation. But for the first time ever, there is very real chance that the infamous Roe v. Wade decision will soon be forever relegated to the pages of history.

Picking up seats in a mid-term election, President Bush has proven himself to be among the most popular leaders in recent times, and the American people are strongly behind him. While his popularity has resulted from the war on terror, this conflict has nonetheless permanently altered the moral character of our nation. Furthermore, the pro-choice position has proven to be a losing issue, as evidenced by the conservative domination of the congress since the Republican Revolution of 1994. Bush has said the two justices he admires most are Scalia and Clarence Thomas, which give us an indication of the future direction of the Supreme Court. Because of all these factors, the court could soon become, once again, a body that will protect the sanctity of human life.

Considering the unprecedented situation we now face the future has never looked brighter, especially for the most vulnerable members of our society, those precious little ones.

Anthony Carver ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in history.