Yesterday Philo and I exchanged perspectives about Giuliani's views on abortion. Viewing the glass as a half-full (or perhaps merely identifying myself as one of those conservatives who want to like Giuliani), I noted that given the limited victories of the pro-life movement in recent years, Giuliani could turn out to be no worse than Reagan or either of the Bushes on pro-life issues.
In Philo's defense however, let me point to a few things. First is this quote from Giuliani from Hannity & Colmes, during the debate over the confirmation of John Roberts:
COLMES: Now, Roe vs. Wade -- You are pro-choice. How important is it to you as a pro-choice Republican to have a pro-choice on the court as someone...
GIULIANI: That is not the critical factor. And what's important to me is to have a very intelligent, very honest, very good lawyer on the court. And he fits that category, in the same way Justice Ginsburg fit that category.
I mean, she was — she maybe came at it from a very different political background, very qualified lawyer, very smart person. Lots of Republicans supported her. I expect, and listening to Senator Nelson, I expect that John Roberts will get support from a lot of Democrats.
Some have asserted that the quote raises questions about whether Giuliani might nominate someone like Ginsburg. I don't read that here; it seems Giuliani is merely applying the same criteria as an overwhelming majority of Republican Senators who voted to confirm Ginsburg. However, the criticism is there. The Giuliani camp asserts that this attack is unfair, and that Giuliani is a supporter of the 'Ginsburg standard.'
And readers may also be interested in the reaction of some prominent social conservatives to his entry into the race. That reaction isn't universal of course; I noted a little while ago that Ralph Reed seems warm to Mr. Giuliani.
I suspect that this will be an ongoing conversation for many months.
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