Thompson Swipes at Rival Giuliani on Former Mayor's Home Turf

WASHINGTON — "Republican presidential contender Fred Thompson criticized Republican rival Rudy Giuliani, likening him to a liberal and questioning the former New York mayor's loyalty to the Republican Party.

"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 was delivering Monday 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 "I believe that conservatives beat liberals only when we challenge their outdated positions, not embrace them.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 does not mention Giuliani in excerpts made available to The Associated Press, but he is clearly trying to draw a contrast with the rival leads in national Republican polls. Unlike Thompson, Giuliani backs abortion and gay rights. And, the ex-mayor's central argument for Republicans to nominate him is that he has the best chance to win in the general election.

Thompson was more direct in an interview on Fox News Channel before the speech.

"I don't think that the mayor has ever claimed to be a conservative," he said before rattling off Giuliani's history.

He noted that Giuliani, who ran as a Republican, sought and won the Liberal Party's endorsement in his first mayoral race in 1989, and that as mayor, he broke from the Republican Party and endorsed Democratic Governor Mario Cuomo in an unsuccessful race for a fourth term.

"So I don't know that he's ever claimed to be anything else," Thompson said, suggesting Giuliani was more a liberal than a conservative.

In response, Giuliani spokeswoman Katie Levinson said: "Fred Thompson can talk about labels all he wants, but labels are meaningless without results. Mayor Giuliani has done more than just talk like a conservative, he's governed like one and has the record to prove it."

"Thou Shalt Not Speak Ill Of Fellow Republicans", was one of Ronald Reagan's commandments.

But since Julie is a Republican in name only this doesn't appear to be a breach of Conservative etiquette, and its about time that Fred began separating himself from newly-christened RINO's.

Soccer-mom spokeswoman Katie has no choice but to lie for her boss, but how being pro-abortion and anti-gun establishes a record as a Conservative is beyond my ken. Julie Annie is what he is and should be professing his middle-of-the-roader leanings and not sending his staff mothers out to offer disingenuous accountings of his record. I for one would have more respect for the man, and so would the fence-sitters.

If the mid-term elections proved one thing it was the fact that Dems acting like Republicans did well, and that Republicans acting like Dems did crappy. So of course Julie wants to lock & load but who but the most simple minded is believing it? On the other hand, the past is the past and I'd like to see Fred offering platform after platform with some serious Conservative planks. The things the man said to me in person were noteworthy, not that any of the big so-called Conservative blogs took up on it to give him a boost, so he's forced to use the Jurassic Press as his mouthpiece because the king-makers of Conservatism aren't impressed with the buffet tables at his rallies.