Giuliani digs in his heals and makes his play

Washington Post staff writers:

Former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani yesterday sought to quell a growing controversy over abortion that has disrupted his presidential campaign. Restating his support for abortion rights, he asked Republican voters to look beyond that issue to the totality of his platform and record.

Giuliani called abortion "morally wrong" but said he nonetheless favors a woman's right to choose. "I am open to seeking ways of limiting abortions, and I am open to decreasing abortions," he told an audience at Houston Baptist University. "But I believe you have to respect their [women's] viewpoint and give them a level of choice. I would grant women the right to make that choice."

The speech came after a week of turmoil surrounding Giuliani's candidacy following a Republican presidential candidate debate in California in which he gave an ambiguous answer to a question about how he would feel if the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

His goal, as he stated yesterday, was to push the controversial issue -- which has put him at odds with much of the party's conservative base -- to the side in the battle for the Republican nomination. But his speech and recent statements left unanswered questions about how his views have changed over the course of nearly two decades as a political candidate and elected official.

Anyone want to speculate how the republicans will react to Giuliani's attempts to become their middleground, most-electable candidate (even by sacrificing the pro-life demographic and much else)?