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Romney criticizes McCain and Giuliani on gay rightsAssociated PressMonday Mar 5, 2007 Republican Mitt Romney assailed his two leading presidential rivals Thursday, criticizing John McCain and Rudy Giuliani on their positions on gay rights.
In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, the former Massachusetts governor criticized Giuliani for his moderate stands on abortion, gays and gun control - even though Romney expressed similar views in previous campaigns.
In the interview posted on the CBN website, Romney said of Giuliani: "He is pro-choice, he is pro-gay marriage and anti-gun. That’s a tough combination in a Republican primary."
He also criticize McCain for opposing a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
In Utah, McCain responded, saying: "I believe in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, but I believe the states should decide."
In his criticisms, Romney drew renewed scrutiny to his own past positions.
In previous campaigns, Romney has said that regardless of his own personal beliefs, abortion should be safe and legal. He changed his position about two years ago and now describes himself as "pro-life." In 1994, he wrote a letter promising a gay Republican group he would be a stronger advocate for gays and their rights than his liberal opponent, Edward M. Kennedy, although Romney says he has always opposed gay marriage.
Responding to the criticism, Giuliani spokeswoman Katie Levinson said: "Mayor Giuliani has the utmost respect for Governor Romney. The mayor’s position on gay marriage has been both clear and consistent - he does not support gay marriage and believes marriage should be between a man a woman."
During a New Hampshire news conference after his town hall meeting, Romney also sought to turn admitted flip-flops from a possible character flaw into a badge of honor. Romney, for example, likened his conversion on abortion to Ronald Reagan’s change of heart on the issue.
"If you had somebody in the private sector who didn’t change their mind when they knew they were wrong, you fired them because they were stubborn," said Romney, a former venture capitalist. "I’m happy to admit when I make mistakes and go on. And my experience is that to the voters, the response is overwhelmingly positive: ’We’ve got a guy who’ll admit his mistakes, tell us what he’s going to do and he’ll honor that.’ "
 Copyright Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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