Rep. DeGette on 'Sex, Science and Stemcells' and Obama

It's not just the most powerful congressional leaders who are writing books these days. Backbencher Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) has one hitting bookstores next week. And even if the book itself isn't that sexy, the title helps: "Sex, Science and Stem Cells."

DeGette, a chief architect of the stem cell research bill that was vetoed twice by President Bush, writes about the Bush administration's politicization of science and sex and warns that if the country elects John McCain president in November, "we'd be signing on for four more years of more of the same - the same blind faith that dogma and ideology ought to stand ahead of science and reason."

"Sex, Science and Stems Cells" is coming out just in time for the Democratic National Convention, which will be held in DeGette's district next month. The new author plans to have at least one book signing during the convention while she plays the role of hostess with the mostess. "I'm having an after-party every night of the convention," she said, bubbling with enthusiasm.

DeGette is also using her book tour, which she plans to kick off next week at the Barnes & Noble on Fifth Avenue in New York, to continue working over disenchanted Hillary Clinton supporters who have been threatening to vote for McCain. The Colorado congresswoman was a co-chair of Clinton's presidential campaign but is now lobbying disgruntled Clinton supporters who have been flooding her offices with angry phone calls to back Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

She's been telling them, "Do not confuse maverick for moderate." And she warns them that McCain could stack the Supreme Court with enough conservatives to roll back Roe v. Wade.

As she wrote in this posting on Huffingtonpost.com recently, "For too long, Senator McCain has avoided the scrutiny from women that his record deserves. Senator McCain is no maverick, and he is no moderate."

DeGette says the barrage of phone calls from die-hard Hillary fans have let up. Still, she says, "This is not a done deal for Obama."