Unlikely Allies on Cloning

This week's House vote on human cloning produced one of the year's most interesting and unexpected alliances. Bernie Sanders, the proudly self-described socialist from Vermont, and Tom DeLay, the staunchly conservative Republican whip from Texas, both supported a strong cloning ban.

This is not one of those columns suggesting that because two representatives on the far ends of politics voted one way, the other side must hold the high, moderate ground. On the contrary, there is a moral and intellectual clarity in the DeLay-Sanders alliance that needs to be taken seriously.

But does the debate over cloning really cut across the normal lines of demarcation in American politics? After all, most of the foes of cloning are conservatives who also oppose abortion. On the other hand, most supporters of abortion rights also favor "therapeutic cloning" research.

But it's not that simple. Contemporary political conservatism has another imperative: opposing increased regulation of private industry. Voting for the strong ban on cloning proposed by Rep. Dave Weldon, a Florida Republican, put conservatives at odds with biotech companies. The companies were out in...