February 7, 2007 -- 12:21 PM EST // //
MEMO TO MEDIA: RUDY WAS FOR "PARTIAL BIRTH" ABORTION BEFORE HE WAS AGAINST IT.
Now that Rudy Giuliani is trying to sell himself to social conservatives, the question is this: Will the media hold him accountable for his inconsistences on the live-or-die social issues that they care about?
Case in point: Rudy's views on what opponents call "Partial Birth Abortion." The other night Rudy appeared on Fox's Hannity and Colmes, giving his first key interview since the news broke that he was basically in the race.
Here's what Rudy said about the partial birth ban in the interview:
HANNITY: Partial birth?GIULIANI: Partial birth abortion? I think that's going to be upheld. I think that ban's gonna be upheld. I think it should be. I think as long as there's a provision for the life of the mother then that's something that should be done.
HANNITY: There's a misconception that you support a partial birth abortion.
GIULIANI: Well, if it doesn't have provision for the mother then I wouldn't support the legislation. If it has provision for the life of the mother then I would support. And I do.
But here's what Rudy said about the issue on CNN on December 2, 1999, when he was preparing a Senate run against Hillary Clinton (via Nexis):
[GARY] TUCHMAN: Giuliani was then asked whether he supports a ban on what critics call partial-birth abortions, something Bush strongly supports.GIULIANI: No, I have not supported that, and I don't see my position on that changing.
Here's what Rudy said on CNN on February 6, 2000 (via Nexis):
BLITZER: If you were in the Senate and [President Clinton] vetoed, once again, the [ban on the] so-called partial-birth abortion procedure, you would vote against sustaining that against the -- in favor of the veto in other words, you would support the president on that.GIULIANI: Yes. I said then that I support him, so I have no reason to change my mind about it.
BLITZER: All right. So the bottom line is that on a lot of these very sensitive issues whether on guns, abortion, patients' bill of rights, taxes, you are more in line with the president and by association, with Mrs. Clinton, than you are against them.
And here's what Rudy said on ABC News on February 6, 2000:
[GEORGE] WILL: Is your support of partial birth abortion firm?Mayor GIULIANI: All of my positions are firm. I have strong viewpoints. I express them. And I--I do not think that it makes sense to be changing your position....
The version of the ban that Rudy opposed back then contained the provision for the life of the mother that Rudy is now saying is a prerequisite for his support of it. Maybe he's changed his mind. Either way, it'll be interesting to see if the media takes note of stuff like this.
Can there really be room in this Presidential race for not one, but two straight-talking Republicans?
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