At Debate, GOP Front-Runners Defend Conservative Credentials
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ORLANDO, Fla. — The Republican front-runners, Mayor Giuliani and Mitt Romney were forced to defend their conservative credentials by their campaign rivals last night in the sharpest debate so far of the Republican presidential campaign.
“You’ve just spent the last year trying to fool people about your record. I don’t want you to start fooling them about mine,” Senator McCain jabbed at Mr. Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts.
A former senator, Fred Thompson, turned Mr. Giuliani into his target, saying the former New York mayor supported federal funding for abortion, gun control, and havens for illegal immigrants. “He sides with Hillary Clinton on each of those issues,” he added, referring to the New York Democrat who leads in the polls for her party’s presidential nomination.
The debate’s early clashes prompted a former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee, to say he wanted no part of a “demolition derby.” Instead, he said he was running for the White House to “protect the sanctity of human life.”
The debate was the eighth of the campaign, and the first since Senator Brownback of Kansas dropped out of the race, citing insufficient funds. The remaining rivals stood on a stage at a resort 10 miles from Disneyland, fielding questions for 90 minutes at an event broadcast by Fox News Channel.
The debate unfolded about 10 weeks before voting begins for Republicans. The leadoff Iowa caucuses are scheduled for January 3, 2008, and the approaching primary season has coincided with a distinct increase in rhetorical combat among the contenders.
The first question went to Mr. Giuliani, asked whether he was more conservative than Mr. Thompson. “I can’t comment on Fred,” the former mayor said.
He then added that he had brought down crime, cleaned up Times Square, cut taxes, and eliminated the city’s deficits. “I think that was a pretty darned good conservative record,” he said.
Mr. Giuliani fired back at his antagonist. “Fred has problems, too,” he said. He said Mr. Thompson was the “single biggest obstacle” in the Senate to legislation limiting the ability of individuals filing lawsuits to recover unlimited damages. Republicans in Congress tried for years to pass legislation that would cap damages in lawsuits, but never succeeded before losing their majority to Democrats in 2006.
