I also find it outrageous that any pro-lifer could possibly endorse Rudy Giuliani for president (as opposed to for, say, NY governor or senator, where the other viable GOP choices are also pro-abortion), yet Rick Perry was not the only pro-lifer who endorsed Rudy for his “leadership” and took Rudy at his word when he promised to nominate judges like Scalia, Roberts and Alito. Pat Robertson and Luis Fortuño (then Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner in Congress, now Governor) come to mind as other prominent pro-life endorsers of Giuliani’s presidential candidacy. I think that Perry’s endorsement of Giuliani *should* be held against Perry, since I think that he was trying to position himself as Giuliani’s “ticket-balancing” VP nominee, but I don’t think that it is evidence that Perry is soft on abortion.
As for Perry and same-sex marriage, he has backed off his federalist chest-thumping about marriage, and clarified that what he meant was that while he supports a Federal Marriage Amendment, until one is adopted and ratified, the 10th Amendment prevents the federal government from forcing NY or any other state to limit marriage to one man and one woman.
Romney is a RINO who pretends to be otherwise, Bachmann struggles to get elected in her very conservative House district and may not be our best general-election candidate(she’s obviously no Sharron Angle, but then again she’s not merely running for the U.S. Senate), and the other candidates running appear unlikely to be able to win the nomination (I’ve always liked Santorum, but unless his standing changes drastically a vote for him instead of for a viable conservative is pretty much a vote for Romney). With Pawlenty out of the race, and with Paul Ryan and Chris Christie unlikely to jump into the fray (although there’s still some hope that at least one of them will change his mind), I am considering supporting Perry. I may end up backing Bachmann instead, but I’m not close to being there yet and I’m glad that I have a few months to make up my mind.
I’m definitively not backing “Slick Rick” (tm Fieldmarshaldj) in the primary. He’s no better than Newt Gingrich AFAIC. If it’s a 2-way Rick/Mitt by the time it gets to Illinois I may have to vote for him but I’ll take my barf bag from ‘08 with me to the booth.
Unless someone else like Ryan or Christie jumps in or Cain improves or Santorum (or Roemer LOL JK) somehow crawls out of the bottom basement (how crappy or broke is his campaign that he can’t get at least a little traction in this group?) it looks like Bachmann for me. She could have some trouble in the GE but I honestly think Rick may have just as much. He speaks the same conservative rhetoric as Bachmann (in fact he’s a little over the top sometimes) opening himself up to the same kind of attacks except he unfortunately doesn’t walk the walk. And I hate to sound like a broken record but I don’t see how he won’t conjure up bad memories of our last President. (In fairness Bachmann could too because they will call her “dumb” and they’ll be actively trying to remind people of Bush no matter who it is)
Obama is weak enough (Thank God) that anyone who doesn’t run a crap Sharron Angle style campaign will have a decent chance.
I like to keep the door open so I’ll keep one foot off the bandwagon for the time being.