Sean Hannity, Dr. Bill Bennett, Newt Gingrich, Gary Bauer, Jeb Bush, Rush Limbaugh, Phyllis Schaffly, Governor Mitt Romney and Tony Perkins.

What do all of those staunch conservatives have in common? 

If you answered that they are all virulently opposed to a spectrum of reproductive and sexual health and rights for the majority of Americans, you'd be correct. The other, relatededly, is that they will all be in attendance at the 2008 Values Voter Summit hosted by the Family Research Council  (FRC) on September 17th. 

From the Family Research Council's web site:

This September, values voters from across the nation will join together for The 2008 Values Voter Summit, the third annual call to action for voter participation, education and training and a rallying event for patriotic Americans who want to transform the political landscape on issues such as the sanctity of life and marriage, immigration reform, religious freedom, health care, radical Islam, judicial activism, geopolitics, the media and much more.

Tony Perkins, head of the FRC, has called Sarah Palin "a brilliant political pick" because of her extreme, socially conservative political stances on abortion and abstinence-only programs among other issues. In addition, because McCain has supported embryonic stem-cell research and voted against bringing the Federal Marriage amendment to the Senate floor the religious right is watching the McCain/Palin ticket closely to make sure they align themselves properly with the religious right agenda.

This Summit will clearly be an opportunity for the far right to unify behind John McCain and Sarah Palin despite their issues with John McCain in the past.  

Stay tuned next week for coverage from the Values Voter Summit from Kay Steiger.