Won't Back Down: Giuliani Stands By Public Funding Of Abortions

I wasn't embargoing this -- it's just I couldn't watch the video. Still can't. My Firefox browser won't play embedded video and my IE browser is totally screwed and shuts down upon starting. (Yeah, I re-installed it. Helped nothing.)

So I'm linking this without knowing precisely what he said. I assume Allah's digest is reasonably accurate.

Anyway, Rudy pretty much destroyed himself as a candidate, I think.

The other day I saw Rich Lowry note (sorry, no link) that Giuliani was calculating that he couldn't really reverse himself too much without destroying his credibility, so he's decided to go with his old positions. He figures, I guess, his opponents all have their own problems with liberal flirtations, so he's partly insulated.

Edit: Actually, Allah says the same thing.

I’ve already written about his strategy in this vein before. Suffice it to say, it’s too late for him to flip-flop convincingly, and so, with his two rivals looking squishy in their own commitment to social issues, he figures he might as well position himself as a man of his word who’ll stand on principle. Because if he’s willing to do that for principles conservatives don’t like, he’s probably also willing to do it for principles that they do.

But Giuliani's wrong. I've said it before and I'll say it again, now that it's too late: Between pandering and "authenticity" which directly repudiates a party's core planks, voters have historically chosen pandering, and they always will.

Sure, they'd like both agreement on the issues and authenticity. But if they have to chose -- they want agreement.

The social right, the pro-lifers, were willing to cut Rudy so damn much slack on this, and yet he couldn't manage to concede one fairly minor point in return.

So Rudy's pretty much done. Romney has the money and now a bit of media momentum to start overtaking him.

Ah, well. It was fun while it lasted.

I Guess Karol Was Right: For a long time Karol was saying Rudy coud never, ever win the nomination. I finally got her to admit that maybe he could. I was wrong, she was (originally) right.

Why Erlich Supports Giuliani: Rob Bluey interviewd the former Maryland governor about his support for Giuliani. To be honest, I think this train has already left the station -- and in the wrong direction -- but it's still interesting.

Perhaps it's a good reason for making Giuliani DHS or something.

Mary Katherine Ham also writes about Iowa conservatives' receptiveness to Giuliani. Again, though: more of a what could have been piece.

posted by Ace at 11:39 AM

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