Republican
presidential contender Fred Thompson swipes at GOP rival
Rudy Giuliani in a speech he plans to give Monday
night on the former New York mayor's home turf.
''Some think the
way to beat the Democrats in November is to be more like
them. I could not disagree more,'' the onetime Tennessee
senator says in remarks he is to deliver before the
Conservative Party of New York.
''I believe that
conservatives beat liberals only when we challenge their
outdated positions, not embrace them. This is not a time for
philosophical flexibility, it is a time to stand up for what
we believe in,'' Thompson adds.
He doesn't
mention Giuliani's name in excerpts made available to the
Associated Press, but he's clearly trying to draw a contrast
with the rival who's leading in national Republican
polls.
Giuliani was once
a Democrat. Unlike Thompson, the New Yorker backs
abortion rights and gay rights. And the ex-mayor's central
argument for Republicans to nominate him is that he
gives them the best shot to win the general election.
Ahead of
Thompson's speech, Giuliani's campaign arranged for several
deputy mayors who served in his administrations to hold a
news conference in Times Square later Monday to
promote his success in reducing crime, overhauling
welfare and cutting taxes.
''Some candidates
talk the talk about Republican principles. Others
actually have a proven track record of governing according
to Republican principles. Rudy Giuliani has that
record,'' Randy Mastro, a deputy mayor in Giuliani's
first term told the AP before the news conference.
With voting
beginning in under three months, Thompson is trying to win
the support of conservatives who are pivotal in GOP
primaries.
''With me, what
you see is what you get. I was a proud conservative
yesterday, I remain one today, and I will be one tomorrow,''
Thompson says.
He touts his
eight-year Senate tenure and boasts of working to further
the conservative causes of smaller government, lower taxes,
less regulation, and conservative judges.
In fact, while he
was seen as a reliably conservative vote in the Senate,
he sometimes strayed from the party line and focused more on
investigating than legislating.
Conversely,
Giuliani voted for Democratic presidential nominee George
McGovern in 1972. As a Republican mayor, he broke from the
GOP and endorsed Democratic governor Mario Cuomo in an
unsuccessful race for a fourth term. In his own two
terms as mayor, Giuliani staunchly supported abortion
rights, gay rights, and gun control -- and also was left of
center on a host of other issues.
He also has had a
rocky history with the Conservative Party of New York.
In his first
mayoral race in 1989, Giuliani ran as a Republican but
sought and won the Liberal Party's endorsement, too. He lost
but ran again in 1993, that time winning with the
Liberal Party's backing.
Thompson's
address to the Conservative Party will be his first public
event since participating in his first presidential debate
in Michigan last Tuesday. He was scheduled to be in
New Hampshire late last week for a fund-raising
breakfast for Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta, but he
canceled his trip. Aides say he also plans stops this week
in Washington, Georgia, and Florida. (Liz
Sidoti, AP)
