Gail Collins: Rudy Was 'Busy Committing Adultery'

Over the course of his political career, Bill Clinton was literally and figuratively embraced by countless pastors, most of whom presumably went to their pulpits on Sunday to preach traditional values, including marital fidelity. If memory serves, neither Gail Collins nor other liberal pundits noted any irony in people of the cloth endorsing the spectacularly straying Clinton.

But let a preacher praise a Republican with a personal history, and Gail Collins thunders like Billy Sunday with a bad migraine. Here's the opening paragraph of her "Pat Loves Rudy" in today's New York Times [emphasis added]:

"Back in mid-2001, when Mayor Rudy Giuliani was busy committing adultery, lurching into his divorce and third marriage and rooming with a gay couple he promised to marry as soon as the law allowed, who among us would have imagined that one day he would be endorsed for president by Pat Robertson?"

I want a winner; and I want someone who can get a 'down and dirty' if only in a manner of speaking. . .as does Hillary. . .and who is not afraid of her; in fact, I want her to feel some real fear, here. . .Rudy does that.

THAT said; am personally supporting Mitt. . .but, at the same time; like to see Hillary run. . .as I think she has to do; when Rudy is in the game; meantime, his 'Hillary' attacks work for all the Repubs.

I cannot bear his wife, Judy Nathan. . .among other more serious negatives for Rudy; but am not ready to push him out the window.. .just yet.

And if by whatever. . .he is the candidate; and do not think he will be. . .I will support him. (Do like his Advisory team. . .)

Well, you’re wrong. Rudy was talking about the current state of affairs regarding SCOTUS and abortion and said that he would be obliged to enforce the latest SCOTUS decision. As far as his beliefs, he said he did not support abortion. You are confounding his compliance with SCOTUS with his personal beliefs and you are doing it intentionally, which, while not an outright lie, is intellectually shabby. I don’t support Rudy for Pres., but I will defend him or any GOP member against false derision.

Continue to spew the lies and maybe you’ll even convince yourself. Rudy said that he could see a strict constructionist judge upholding Roe v. Wade. But I think you know that is only the tip of the ice berg with regard to Rudy’s pro-abortion agenda. Rudy also said it would be okay if Roe v. Wade were upheld. Only a true kool-aid drinker would believe for a minute that Rudy would consider appointing a strict constructionist to the Bench.

Giuliani may say now that he supports a ban on partial birth abortion but he wasn’t talking that way in 2000. He was OK with the ban back then. Here’s what he told Tim Russert of Meet the Press in February of that year.

Russert: “[B]anning of late-term abortions, so-called ‘partial-birth abortions’ – you’re against that?”
Giuliani: “I’m against it in New York, because in New York …”
Russert: “Well, if you were a senator, would you vote with the president or against the president?”
Giuliani: “I would vote to preserve the option for women.”

Here’s another one. This is what he said to George Will From ABC’s This Week program, also from February of 2000.

George Will: “Is your support of partial birth abortion firm?”
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 to figure out, ‘Well, I can get the Liberal Party, I can get the Conservative Party here.’”

On Parental notification, Giuliani says he’s for it now. But read this excerpt from a New York Times article written last month:

“On a 1997 candidate questionnaire from the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League of New York, which Mr. Giuliani completed and signed, he marked ‘yes’ to the question: Would you oppose legislation ‘requiring a minor to obtain permission from a parent or from a court before obtaining an abortion.’”

Hardly the quotes or actions of a man that believes Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided.

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