More Conservative Than Thee

Fred Thompson mysteriously disappeared after last week's debate performance, but has reappeared to challenge the frontrunner Rudy Giuliani's conservative credentials:

WASHINGTON - 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 one-time Tennessee senator says in remarks he is to deliver to 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"I believe that conservatives beat liberals only when we challenge their outdated positions, not embrace them.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 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 most likely shot to win in 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 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.

Rudy makes a good point in showing off the transformation of Times Square. I was there in June and it's a wonderful place to visit now, as opposed to what it was like before Rudy came along when it was filled with porn shops, crime and drugs. It's like Las Vegas without the slot machines now, and I felt very safe there even walking by myself late on a Saturday night.


However, a trendy tourist area does not conservative credentials make. There are still serious issues related to guns, God and gays where Rudy and Fred have some pretty big differences. The question is if the differences will be big enough to move voters one direction or the other.