Obama's war stance woos some Republicans

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 31 (UPI) -- Republicans opposed to U.S. President George Bush's war policy say they're finding a candidate they can endorse in Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

The so-called Obamacans' opposition to the war in Iraq alienates them from the party's presumptive presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who supports the war, The New York Sun reported Monday.

Among Obama's supporters are Lincoln Chaffee, a former U.S. senator of Rhode Island; Douglas Kmiec, senior legal adviser to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign and Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower.

The Democratic presidential hopeful's appeal to anti-war Republicans could affect the outcome of upcoming primaries, especially Pennsylvania, with its primary on April 22, the Sun said. Of the 140,000 Pennsylvania Republicans and independents who switched registration to Democrat, the majority indicated they support Obama, G. Terry Madonna, director of the Franklin and Marshall College poll, told the Sun. Registration for the state's closed primary ended March 24.

"If 2 million people vote in Pennsylvania, which would be a huge number, I think Obama gets 85,000 to 90,000 switchers," Madonna told the Sun. "That's 3 or 4 or 5 percent, which is a big deal."

Some GOP analysts note, however, that Obama hasn't attracted the conservative vote.