Monday, May 14, 2007

Former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who leads the field of Republican presidential candidates in national polls, said that he supports a woman's right to an abortion, then added that he "might be able" to appoint antiabortion justices to the Supreme Court.

Giuliani said he hates abortion and would advise against it. "That's a principle I've held forever, and I'll hold it forever," he said on "Fox News Sunday." But he added that he does not think he should impose his view on women.

The former U.S. attorney said his judicial priority is not a "litmus test" on abortion, but rather appointing "strict constructionist judges" who would hew to the original meaning of the language in the Constitution.

Giuliani was one of a parade of presidential candidates on the Sunday talk shows, with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on NBC's "Meet the Press" and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on ABC's "This Week."

Obama said he does not think much about the role his being African American might play in the presidential race. If he does not win the White House, he added, "it's not going to be because of my race. It's going to be because I didn't project a vision of leadership that gave people confidence."

Obama also suggested that, when his two young daughters apply to college, they should not benefit from affirmative action because they are "pretty advantaged." Both Obama and his wife attended Harvard Law School.

McCain, meanwhile, grew indignant at the suggestion that political calculations sparked his opposition to the repeal of President Bush's tax cuts and his support of ethanol as an energy alternative -- two views seemingly at odds with positions he has taken before. "I can't respond to a statement like that," he said when asked if his stance on ethanol, popular in Iowa, had anything to do with that state's caucuses.

WAR POLITICS: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) warned on CNN's "Late Edition" of "a growing sense of bipartisan frustration in the Senate" with the Iraqi government. One big complaint among GOP lawmakers has been the Iraqi parliament's plan for a two-month summer recess. Consider McConnell's message received: Later on the show, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih said the recess will be condensed to perhaps as little as two weeks.

By Zachary A. Goldfarb